Dan Pompei of the National Football Post writes one of the best weekly postings covering the NFL, called the Sunday Blitz, typically covering insider information that most fans typically enjoy. We've referenced his postings in the past and we'll do so again this morning with Pompei's praise of Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth, labeling him as the best tackle during his midseason awards, calling him perhaps the best left tackle in the NFL.
The best left tackle in football may be Andrew Whitworth. The sixth-year Bengals player does not get the recognition of an elite tackle, but perhaps he should. The website profootballfocus.com, which rates every player’s performance in every game, has Whitworth as the top rated left tackle in the AFC. His position coach Paul Alexander concurs. "If you ask me, he’s the best," Alexander said. "Technically, he’s superb. He is tough, has strong hands and takes great angles."
Whitworth has allowed three sacks over his last 23 games going back to last year. What’s more, Alexander tells me Whitworth has not been beaten once in practice since the beginning of the season. Alexander said Whitworth is constantly tinkering with his technique, and he has made some recent changes that have paid off. The word on Whitworth coming out of Louisiana State was that he wasn’t the greatest athlete, but that clearly is not true. Turns out he’s a very good golfer and tennis player. A couple of years ago the Bengals held a "Superstars" competition on their team. The non-quarterback who threw the most balls through a hoop? Whitworth.