Whitworth eager to play left tackle

Bengals’ offensive line coach says of 6-foot-7, 330-pounder: ‘He’s tougher than nails.’

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By Chick Ludwig, Staff Writer Updated 1:02 AM Saturday, June 20, 2009

Need some shade on a sunny, sweltering day? Just stand next to the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth.

At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, he occupies one of the most important positions on the team.

After spending most of his three seasons at left guard, Whitworth is back where he belongs — at left tackle, protecting quarterback Carson Palmer’s blind side.

“Left tackle is a position that you have one of your elite players play,” Whitworth said during a break at minicamp, which concludes today, June 20, at Paul Brown Stadium. “That’s the position I want to take the responsibility of playing, and playing well.”

Whitworth entered the NFL in 2006 as a second-round draft pick out of LSU, where he was a pillar of the Tigers’ line at left tackle from 2002-05. Of his 38 NFL starts, 13 have come at left tackle for the often-injured Levi Jones, whose release in May cleared a path for Whitworth to return “home.”

Head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive line coach Paul Alexander didn’t hesitate in naming Whitworth the starter. With each repetition, the big fellow gets more comfortable and confident.

“It’s a chance for me to just solidly work at that spot and have one focus,” he said. Off the field, Whitworth’s a gentle giant. On the field, he has a mean streak. He became an instant folk hero in the Bengals’ 21-19 victory over Jacksonville on Nov. 2, 2008, when he retaliated against Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson, who pulled off Whitworth’s helmet after a heated blocking exchange and attempted to gouge Whitworth’s eyes.

Both players were ejected for fighting at 2:14 of the third quarter. At that moment, a leader was born for the Bengals.

“The thing about your left tackle is you’ve got to trust that guy completely,” Alexander said. “I don’t think people recognize just how good of an athlete he is. He’s a great athlete. He has tremendous hand-eye coordination, balance, smarts, and he’s tougher than nails.”

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