Andrew Whitworth

Infobox NFLactive
name=Andrew Whitworth

---

currentteam=Cincinnati Bengals
currentnumber=77
currentpositionplain=Guard / Tackle
birthdate=birth date and age|1981|12|12
birthplace=Monroe, Louisiana
heightft=6
heightin=7
weight=330
debutyear=2006
debutteam=Cincinnati Bengals
college=Louisiana State
draftyear=2006
draftround=2
draftpick=55
pastteams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (2006-present)
status=Active
highlights=
* SEC All-Freshman (2002)
* First-team Freshman All-American (2002)
* 2x First-team All-SEC (2004-2005)
nfl=WHI825900

Andrew Whitworth (born December 12, 1981 in city-state|Monroe|Louisiana) is an American football offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State.

Early years

Whitworth was rated by CNNSI.com as the sixth-best offensive line prospect in the nation. He participated in the first ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl game on December 30th, 2000 along with other future LSU players Marcus Spears, Marquise Hill, and Ben Wilkerson. He attended West Monroe High School in West Monroe, Louisiana and graduated in 2001. He was a part of two Louisiana Class 5A State Championship teams in 1998 and 2000 when the school was listed by ESPN as National Champions. He was also part of four straight District Championship teams in one of the toughest districts in the state.

College career

Whitworth did not play in 2001; he was redshirted as a freshman. In 2002, he started every game, and was a first-team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News and Football Writers Association. As a sophomore in 2003, he started all 14 games. The team went 13-1 en route to a BCS national title with Sugar Bowl defeat of Oklahoma. He led the team with 1008 snaps and credited with 105 key blocks, including 82 knockdowns. In 2004, Whitworth led the team with 799 snaps from scrimmage as the Tigers went 9-3 with Citrus Bowl berth against Iowa. His play was key for an offense that scored 39 TDs and averaged 395.6 yards per game. He was credited with 96 key blocks, including 66 knockdowns, and played every offensive snap during a four-game stretch against Georgia, Florida, Troy and Vanderbilt. Helping LSU to an 11-2 record, he played left tackle in 2005. That season was capped by 40-3 Peach Bowl win over Miami (Fla.). He played every offensive snap in nine of the 13 contests, for an offense that averaged 374.1 yards per game. By not allowing a sack all season, he finished his career with 22 straight games of no sacks allowed. He was credited with 104 key blocks/knockdowns. Whitworth played in the East-West Shrine Game on January 21, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas.

His 52 career starts from 2002-05 rank second in NCAA Division I history behind Derrick Strait of Oklahoma (53 starts, 2001-04). He earned All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in each of his last two seasons, including consensus nod as a senior.

He graduated with a degree in general studies.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Whitworth was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (55th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut on special teams September 10 at Kansas City. He started at LG in his second game, September 17 vs. the Cleveland Browns, as part of a line shuffle that saw LG Eric Steinbach replace injured Levi Jones at left tackle. Whitworth helped Bengals pile up 481 yards against Browns, including 145 rushing yards by Rudi Johnson. He was in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season, in part due to the number of injuries that depleted the Bengals offensive line. On November 12 vs. the San Diego Chargers, he helped the offense produce a season-high 545 yards and career-high 440 yards passing from Carson Palmer. He also had a key block on Rudi Johnson's seven-yard TD run in first quarter.

On July 25, 2008, Whitworth agreed in principle four-year extension with the Bengals, that would keep him in Cincinnati through 2013. It included $30 million in new money.

External links

* [http://www.bengals.com/team/player.asp?player_id=96 Cincinnati Bengals bio]
* [http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=27812&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174976&Q_SEASON=2005 LSU Tigers bio]