2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Started at LT in every game, including Wild Card playoff, one of seven Bengals to do so ... Contributed to pass protection effort that ranked tied for fourth in NFL in sacks allowed (25) ... On Sept. 11 at Cleveland, aided blocking effort that helped produce Cedric Benson’s 121-yard rushing performance … Helped team rush 32-for-171 (5.3 avg.) Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including 104 yards for Benson ... On Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis, supported pass-protection effort that held Colts for the first time this season without a sack ... On Nov. 20 at Baltimore, helped lead blocking effort for 483 yards of net offense … On Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland, helped lead protection effort for 389 yards of total offense, including 106 rushing yards by Benson ... Aided 165-yard rushing output Dec. 24 vs. Arizona.
A key player on Bengals line since his rookie season, Whitworth completed his third straight season in starting LT role ... Has started 50 consecutive Bengals games (regular season and postseason), tied for longest streak on current team ... Helped 2011 offense rank tied for fourth in NFL in fewest sacks allowed (25) ... Has four career fumble recoveries ... His 86 career regular season starts include 61 at T and 25 at G ... Has played in every game in five of his six full NFL seasons.
2011 HIGHLIGHTS: Started at LT in every game, including Wild Card playoff, one of seven Bengals to do so ... Contributed to pass protection effort that ranked tied for fourth in NFL in sacks allowed (25) ... On Sept. 11 at Cleveland, aided blocking effort that helped produce Cedric Benson’s 121-yard rushing performance … Helped team rush 32-for-171 (5.3 avg.) Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including 104 yards for Benson ... On Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis, supported pass-protection effort that held Colts for the first time this season without a sack ... On Nov. 20 at Baltimore, helped lead blocking effort for 483 yards of net offense … On Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland, helped lead protection effort for 389 yards of total offense, including 106 rushing yards by Benson ... Aided 165-yard rushing output Dec. 24 vs. Arizona.
PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2010 - Aided possession time of 36:22 in win Sept. 26 at Carolina … Aided offensive outputs of 469 yards Oct. 24 at Atlanta (most by the team since Game 2 of 2007), and 413 yards Oct. 3 at Cleveland … Supported 144 rushing yards by Cedric Benson on Oct. 10 vs. Tampa Bay … Supported 124-yard rushing game by Benson on Nov. 21 vs. Buffalo … Extended a Bengals possession Dec. 5 vs. New Orleans with recovery of a Benson fumble … Aided 38:03 possession time and 188-yard team rushing output Dec. 19 vs. Cleveland, both season bests … Supported 371-net yard performance with no sacks allowed Dec. 26 vs. San Diego.
2009 - Aided 141-yard rushing game by Cedric Benson on Sept. 20 at Green Bay … Helped lead fourth-quarter drives of 85 and 71 yards during comeback win Sept. 27 vs. Pittsburgh … Helped support a 5.1-yard team rushing average Oct. 4 at Cleveland … On Oct. 11 at Baltimore, helped limit Ravens to one sack while helping Benson (27-for-120) become first player in 40 games to rush for 100 yards against Baltimore … Supported Benson’s career-high 189 rushing yards Oct. 25 vs. Chicago, while also aiding a sack-free performance up front … On Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh, helped offense control line of scrimmage for fourth-quarter FG drives of 50 and 54 yards to get Cincinnati’s winning six-point margin … On Nov. 22 at Oakland, extended a Bengals fourth-quarter possession by recovering an Andre Caldwell fumble at Cincinnati 40 … On Dec. 6 vs. Detroit, supported third straight game of more than 38 minutes possession time (38:48) … On Dec. 20 at San Diego, had a fumble recovery in the second quarter to preserve possession, after QB Carson Palmer was stripped of the ball at the Bengals 15-yard line … On Dec. 27 vs. Kansas City, supported Benson’s 133-yard game for his Bengals-record sixth 100-yard game of season … Supported Benson for Bengals postseason-record 169 rushing yards in Wild Card playoff 1-9-10 vs. N.Y. Jets.
2008 - Started Games 1-10 at LG, but suffered ankle injury in third quarter of Game 10, Nov. 16 vs. Philadelphia ... Game-day inactive for Game 11, and placed on Reserved/Injured list Nov. 28 ... In win Nov. 2 vs. Jacksonville, helped line pave the way for 159 rushing yards (5.5 avg.) ... Ejected from Jacksonville game after third-quarter altercation with Jaguars DT John Henderson, who also was ejected ... On Nov. 16 vs. Philadelphia, moved from LG to LT, replacing Levi Jones (leg soreness) in first quarter, but was sidelined by ankle injury in third quarter.
2007 - Mainstay in pass protection that ended season with three straight games of no sacks allowed ... Team's 17 sacks allowed on the season broke record of 21 set in 2005 ... Bengals ranked second in NFL in '07 in fewest sacks allowed, behind only New Orleans (16) ... Whitworth also had a fumble recovery, preserving a FG drive in victory Nov. 11 at Baltimore when he corralled a Carson Palmer fumble at Ravens 17 ... Aided offensive output of 531 yards on Sept. 16 at Cleveland ... Although starting at LG on Oct. 14 at Kansas City, he switched in second quarter to LT, replacing Levi Jones (coach's decision) ... On Oct. 21 vs. N.Y. Jets, helped offense to its most balanced output of the season, with 218 yards passing and 177 rushing for 395 total ... On Nov. 25 vs. Tennessee, blocked for season's second-most net yards (426), including 283 passing and 148 rushing ... On Dec. 9 vs. St. Louis, aided in season-high rushing output of 192 yards and only one sack of Palmer.
2006 - Made NFL debut on special teams Sept. 10 at Kansas City ... Started at LG in his second game, Sept. 17 vs. Cleveland, as part of a line shuffle that saw LG Eric Steinbach replace injured Levi Jones at LT ... Whitworth helped Bengals pile up 481 yards against Browns, including 145 rushing yards by Rudi Johnson ... Started at LG on Oct. 15 at Tampa Bay, but moved to LT in second half, replacing injured Jones ... Began a 10-game stretch as starting LT on Oct. 22 vs. Carolina, and aided line effort that produced 101 rushing yards for Johnson ... On Nov. 12 vs. San Diego, helped offense produce season-high 545 yards and career-high 440 yards passing from Carson Palmer, and had a key block on Johnson seven-yard TD run in first quarter ... On Nov. 19 at New Orleans, part of line effort which produced 385 yards, including 111 rushing yards from Johnson, while only allowing one sack ... On Nov. 26 at Cleveland, aided 388-yard net-offense effort, with season-high 37:50 time of possession ... On Dec. 10 vs. Oakland, helped key line performance of no sacks allowed while supporting 117 rushing yards from Johnson, and had a key block on nine-yard Johnson TD run in first quarter ... On Dec. 24 at Denver, played most of first quarter before giving way to Jones at LT ... On Dec. 31 vs. Pittsburgh, entered game at LT after injury to Jones and played most of game.
HE SCORES: On Dec. 12, 2010 at Pittsburgh, Whitworth had his first career reception — for a one-yard TD after lining up as an eligible receiver. His score gave Cincinnati a 7-0 first-quarter lead. He became the first Bengals offensive lineman to score a TD since T Melvin Tuten vs. Jacksonville in 1995, also on a pass reception.
COLLEGE: A pillar of the LSU line from 2002-05, Whitworth never missed a game or a practice due to injury ... Played primarily LT and was credited with no sacks allowed as a senior and only one as a junior ... Earned All-SEC first-team honors as both a junior and senior, including consensus nod as a senior ... Second-team All-America choice by Walter Camp Foundation as a senior, and third-team All-American by Associated Press ... Started every game as a sophomore in 2003 as LSU won BCS national championship with 13-1 mark ... Spent five years at LSU, including 2001 redshirt season.
PERSONAL: Hometown is West Monroe, La. … At West Monroe High School, was rated by CNNSI.com as sixth-best offensive line prospect in the nation … Led West Monroe to three Class 5A state football titles, as a freshman, sophomore and senior … Graduated from LSU in December 2005 with a degree in general studies … Former junior tennis champion in Louisiana, and is also an excellent golfer … Married (wife Melissa) … Has launched the BigWhit 77 Foundation to aid in community service efforts … Hosts a fundraising golf tournament in Louisiana, and enjoys serving as a motivational speaker to youth groups.
