Andrew Whitworth

Andrew James Whitworth (born December 12, 1981) is an American football offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU). He was chosen in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

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 30, 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 the National High School Football Tony Poll 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 recognized as 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, 2000–03). He earned All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in each of his last two seasons, including a consensus nod as a senior.

He graduated with a degree in general studies.

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, worth a reported $30 million.

In 2009, head coach Marvin Lewis decided to move Whitworth from guard to left tackle and saw immediate impact.He started all 16 games of the season allowing just 5 sacks and helping running back Cedric Benson to have a breakout year rushing for 1251 yards. On December 12, 2010 Whitworth caught a one yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer. It was the first of his career.