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Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth is frustrated.
Hell, you'd be too.
It's a beautiful Cincinnati weekend and you're at home, settling in for the night when the company that you work for unexpectedly hires two employees with your identical skillset. One, expected? Two... red flags. Now your job security went from being the company MVP to the aging mentor that will pass down the wisdom that you've learned.
Unfortunately (and the hard reality of it all is), that's life.
Yet, Whitworth is the guy who has taken your franchise, your organization, under his massive wings. He's an extension of a coach, a recruiter, even someone who has cared for your players -- the player-only workouts, hosting Tyler Eifert until he found a place of his own, etc... If there's a player that mothers this locker room more than Whitworth, that person has yet to be found.
Now you've shoved Whitworth into a position that requires him to fill in the blanks -- perhaps the most disrespectful way to treat your premier leader. Did the company hire these employees to replace you? Maybe one scenario expects Andre Smith to leave for free agency after 2015 while conducting a musical chairs session at guard and center.
What's the company's plan and why didn't someone reach out to say, "I know you have questions, let's talk." Where's the respect?
"I wish that there had been [conversations with the Bengals about drafting tackles], but I'm a big boy, I can handle it," Whitworth said via ESPN. "This is my football team, I'm the captain of it. I've been the leader of it for a long time and don't plan on letting that change.
Have the Bengals taken Whitworth's leadership for granted? Considering that they've taken fan loyalty for granted since Sam Wyche was fired, it's not entirely surprising that they've singlehandedly allowed friction to develop where it didn't (nor should have) exist in the first place. It makes sense for the Bengals to develop pieces for the future -- especially with 25-30 players entering free agency next year. You have enough foresight for the future but none for the players that are already here?
Even more unfortunate is that Whitworth, who wants a little job security, is put into a position to explain his position. His contract expires next March. He wants an extension.
"At the end of the day, I am the captain and leader and I want to go above and beyond and do more than the average guy in this locker room and have always," Whitworth said via Bengals.com. "It’s hard to do that when that feeling is not reciprocated and is just a one way street. We'd like you to prepare two guys to be really good football players, we'd like you to be the leader of football team, but we'd also like to have the best situation possible for us. We’ll talk to you when we want to."
"It would be pretty easy for me to prove my contributions to this franchise over the last 10 years," Whitworth said. "And you've got that guy fighting for his life. I think I've earned more than that. But it’s the NFL. I'm a big boy. I play football. I’ll never allow outside situations to change who I am as a mentor. I’ll be there for them that. That will never change."