Tag: Andrew Whitworth

Andrew Whitworth: ‘Never say never’ on unretiring to sign with the Bengals

Andrew Whitworth didn’t rule out coming out of retirement to sign with the Bengals this season on Peter Schrager’s podcast.

Andrew Whitworth seemingly loves his job on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage, but he’s leaving the door open for a potential return to the field. Despite retiring this past offseason as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Whitworth went on Peter Schrager’s podcast and iterated that there’s a chance he would consider unretiring to rejoin the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’ve said this since the day I retired, I’ll never say never,” Whitworth said on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast. “There’s always a chance.”

Whitworth retired in the offseason with the Rams following a storybook ending where he defeated his former team, the Bengals, in the Super Bowl to conclude his legendary career. The All-Pro offensive tackle is technically under contract with the Rams, so if he were to come out of retirement, the Rams and Bengals would need to work out some type of agreement.

The Bengals recently lost La’El Collins for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, which is why the conversation has heated up surrounding a potential reunion for Whitworth. Cincinnati is considered one of the legitimate contenders in the AFC with an 11-4 record, so he’d have a chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls with the only two teams he spent his 16 seasons playing for.

Earlier this month, Whitworth turned 41 years old and he spoke about how he’d have to make sure he could handle the rigors of playing football again while also discussing everything with his family before making a return. This Thursday’s game will be the final Thursday night game that Whitworth will need to be an analyst for this season, so there’s a chance we could see him playing football again for the team that drafted him in 2006.

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The Andrew Whitworth to the Bengals movement gains steam

One expert wants to see it happen.

Cincinnati Bengals fans and otherwise quickly hit social media to call for a reunion with Andrew Whitworth as a response to the team losing La’el Collins for the rest of the season. 

And that small movement once thought exclusive to fans online has grown much bigger thanks to Peter Schrager on “Good Morning Football” this week.

There, Schrager was front and center calling for Whitworth to rejoin his old team: “Amazon ends Thursday with the anemic Titans taking on the Cowboys. The season’s over. You’ve already had your holidays. You had your Christmas with your family. Andrew Whitworth. We love you. We’ve seen you on TV. We’ve seen you at the table. Your buddy Eric Weddle last year, got the call from the Rams in the playoffs. Came in, played safety, and won a ring.”

Whitworth had mentioned recently on a podcast that one of the things he’s thought about since retirement was the fact he finished just one game off becoming the winningest offensive lineman of all time.

Still, no word on if Whitworth can be game ready quickly or would really accept an offer from a contender. He never really played right tackle either, so there’s an assumption there that he could move over and make it work for a few games and a playoff run.

But it’s a fun idea, if nothing else. The Bengals will move forward with Hakeem Adeniji at right tackle, though Whitworth as an emergency option would be something interesting. And as Weddle showed last year, it’s not some totally impossible scenario, especially with Whitworth already recently mentioning one thing that might encourage him to come back.

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Here’s who’s joining Richard Sherman on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football studio show

Who’s joining Richard Sherman as a TNF analyst? We go over it.

One of the more significant changes to the NFL broadcasting schedule this year is that Thursday Night Football games will now be broadcast on Amazon Prime. (Be sure to check with your local bar or restaurant on whether they will show these games!)

It is the first time a pro football broadcast series will be primarily shown over a streaming service. And with a loaded slate of games, TNF certainly appears to be quite interesting moving forward.

Aside from Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit calling matchups in the booth, a bunch of familiar faces will also analyze TNF games in the studio.

Let’s dive into who will be breaking down the respective Thursday night matchups every week on Amazon Prime.

Andrew Whitworth opens up about joining Twitter, watching a ton of film and what he misses about playing

In an exclusive interview, Andrew Whitworth opened up about his desire to work for an NFL team, joining Twitter and retirement life

Andrew Whitworth retired from the NFL after 16 seasons earlier this year, calling it a career after going out on top as the Walter Payton Man of the Year and a Super Bowl champion. It was the perfect ending to a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but Whitworth hasn’t gone far.

He remains close to the game he loves, taking on a broadcasting job with Amazon on Thursday Night Football. Whitworth has also stuck around in Los Angeles, attending several Rams practices this summer and hanging out in their war room during the draft.

Whitworth is enjoying retirement and staying busy, keeping that competitive fire by finding a new passion in the media world. He’d love to work for an NFL organization one day – ideally, the Rams, he says – whether it’s as a coach or in the front office.

I recently caught up with Whitworth, who opened up about his future career plans, his decision to join Twitter, expectations for Joe Noteboom and much more. Whitworth also discussed his partnership with Pepsi, giving one fan a chance to live in a game-day-ready tiny home for 18 weeks this NFL season.

Andrew Whitworth has no interest in unretiring and ‘stopping a Nick Bosa bull rush’

Andrew Whitworth says he has “no interest” in trying to stop a Nick Bosa bull rush, indicating he’s going to stay retired

Since retiring from the NFL in March, Andrew Whitworth’s name has popped up a few times as someone fans could see returning to the field if a team called. He previously said “never say never” when asked about coming out of retirement, and recently got plenty of tweets and texts about potentially replacing the injured Tyron Smith in Dallas.

He hadn’t completely shot down the possibility of unretiring and returning to the field, but he sure doesn’t sound like someone who wants to do that. In an interview with Rams Wire, Whitworth answered the question of whether he has an itch to get back out there and return to playing.

“I would say probably not,” he said. “I go out there and it’s fun to think you’d want to do that, but right now if I had to think about stopping a Nick Bosa bull rush, that makes me want to jump out of my desk. I have no interest in doing that, so I would love to talk about how good Nick Bosa plays. I do not want to have to figure out how to stop it right now anymore. I think I’ve gotten out of that mindset a little bit. Still a competitor, I’d still love to think I could, but I don’t think I can right now.”

Of course, Whitworth isn’t just sitting home binge-watching Netflix. He’s working, and working hard. In his new role with Amazon as a studio analyst on Thursday Night Football, Whitworth is loving the opportunity to break down the game he played for 20-plus years.

“It’s really not that much different in the sense that you’re using different skills, but just being yourself, being who you are, being passionate about what you’re passionate about and letting that show, I think it’s some of the things I’m trying to focus on,” Whitworth said. “So far, it’s been great. I can’t wait to get more involved and it looks like something I could do for a really long time and I really enjoy it.”

As fun as it would be to see Whitworth come out of retirement and help the Rams (or another team) in one way or another, it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards for the 40-year-old former left tackle. He’s more than content in his new role with Amazon.

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Andrew Whitworth lobbies for Raheem Morris to get another chance as an NFL head coach

Andrew Whitworth took to Twitter to lobby for Raheem Morris to get another head coaching job in the NFL.

Assistant coaches under Sean McVay have continuously receive interest from teams for head coaching roles since he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.

Ever since McVay arrived in Los Angeles, four of his assistant coaches have been hired as head coaches: Matt LaFleur, Brandon Staley, Zac Taylor, and Kevin O’Connell.

After getting a chance to see him work with the team in 2021, Andrew Whitworth feels defensive coordinator Raheem Morris should be next. Whitworth is lobbying for Morris to get another chance to be a head coach in the NFL.

 

Morris is entering his second year as the defensive coordinator of the Rams, and with teams around the NFL clamoring to hire anyone that is associated with McVay, he could be given another opportunity to be a head coach soon. From 2009 to 2011, Morris spent three years as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In those three seasons, Morris led the Buccaneers to a 17-31 record, though Tampa Bay went 10-6 with Josh Freeman as its starting quarterback in 2010 when Morris was only 34 years old. After failing to get another head coaching job following his time with the Buccaneers, Morris did serve as the interim head coach for the Atlanta Falcons in the final 11 games of the 2020 season, going 4-7 in those games.

When speaking about Morris, McVay expressed his confidence in Morris becoming a head coach again.

“He’s going to be a head coach again—no question about it,” McVay told Andscape. “He’s such a special leader, such a special coach. And when you think about the things that a great head coach does—has command over the game, command over a room, the ability to connect with a bunch of different people—Raheem does all of that. He just has great ability to lead, teach, motivate, inspire. He checks every single one of those boxes.”

With a few teams likely looking for new head coaches in 2023, Whitworth and McVay are doing their best to ensure Morris gets a much-deserved promotion after this season.

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Andrew Whitworth shares one way Joe Noteboom is similar to All-Pro LT Joe Thomas

Andrew Whitworth has high expectations for Joe Noteboom, even comparing him to former All-Pro LT Joe Thomas in one area

Andrew Whitworth has handed over the reins at left tackle after retiring from the NFL this offseason, stepping away from the game after 16 incredible seasons. In his place, the Los Angeles Rams will start Joe Noteboom – a former third-round pick out of TCU.

Whitworth has always been complimentary of Noteboom and seen great potential in the young tackle, but now that Noteboom is taking over as a full-time starter, Whitworth has even higher expectations for him.

In a recent interview with Rams Wire on behalf of Pepsi, Whitworth opened up about Noteboom’s potential and what he’s seen from Joe over the years. One thing that stands out to Whitworth is Noteboom’s anchor as a blocker.

His ability to set and not get knocked back reminds Whitworth of former six-time All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas.

“For Joe, it’s the ability – he has a really special anchor. I look at Joe Thomas, he was a tremendous setter at left tackle. Had a really fluid set. Joseph sets really fluid and has a really special anchor,” Whitworth said. “Joe Thomas was a guy that had such a smooth set, but what really made him special was how strong the anchor he had. Not always being the biggest tackle out there, he could set back as far and as fast as he wanted and was actually able to anchor on people in a really special way. That’s one of the things for linemen, especially tackles, as far as you have to move and as athletic as these guys are, you gotta be able to anchor and not get knocked back in a split-second. Sometimes when they choose to attack, Noteboom has a really special anchor and can sit people down. To me, if you can do that, the rest of the stuff is just a matter of experience.”

Noteboom has made starts at left tackle before, but never for an entire season. And since struggling at left guard in 2019, a season that ended prematurely due to injury, Noteboom has focused primarily on playing tackle – unquestionably his best position.

Whitworth expects him to play well in his first year as a starting left tackle, seeing no reason he can’t excel as a pass blocker.

“… He’s gonna be a great pass protector and play well from the jump, I would imagine,” Whitworth continued. “He’s always played well in moments he’s gotten to go in there and I don’t see him in an 18-game season playing any different. I think he’ll be very consistent and play well, so as a young player, it really stuck out to see him be completely out of position a little bit and still be able to anchor guys down, which is a trait that any left tackle would love to have.”

Since retiring, Whitworth has partnered with Pepsi to give away a tiny home built for NFL game days, allowing one fan to stay in the “18 Week Pack” for 18 weeks this season, complete with two TVs, a fridge, a murphy bed and a loft.

Check it out in the video below.

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Rob Havenstein trying to fill Andrew Whitworth’s shoes as a leader by example

With Andrew Whitworth gone, Rob Havenstein is attempting to fill his shoes by becoming more of a leader for the Rams

Andrew Whitworth’s retirement left the Rams with a big void at left tackle, one they’ve already filled with Joe Noteboom. But he also left a hole as a leader of this team, both off the field and on Sundays.

Rob Havenstein, the eldest offensive lineman, is in a perfect position to step up as the guy younger players look up to. He’s doing everything he can to help fill the shoes of Whitworth, attempting to lead by example just as No. 77 did during his five years in Los Angeles.

“He spoke when necessary, he spoke when needed. He had an uncanny ability for that,” Havenstein told the Rams’ site. “He really led by example. He went out there and just did it first. You could never say, ‘Hey, I’m out-working Andrew right now,’ you know? That’s something I hope I’m bringing right now.”

Havenstein, 30, has been a starter for the Rams since 2015, primarily playing right tackle. He’s been one of the most underrated players on this star-studded team led by Sean McVay, holding down the right side of the line with a high level of play.

Having gained the experience he has, Havenstein feels he can help the Rams’ younger linemen with their technique and blocking.

“I feel like I at least somewhat know what I’m talking about now,” Havenstein said. “So if I see a young guy making the same mistakes I’ve made or I’ve seen before, it’s just easier to go ahead and address that. Maybe it’s showing them how it’s done, but it’s more talking through it and how I understand certain things and certain body positions for offensive linemen, specifically.”

The Rams could use his leadership on the field with Whitworth gone, and it sounds like he’s more than up to the task.

Read the full feature on Havenstein here.

Andrew Whitworth denies interest in the Cowboys, and they’d have to acquire him from the Rams anyway

Andrew Whitworth says the Cowboys haven’t reached out to him, nor is he interested in going to Dallas. The Rams would have a say anyway.

Andrew Whitworth hasn’t even been retired for six full months, yet there are already talks about his potential return to the field. Only, the talks aren’t about him coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams. It’s the Dallas Cowboys who are at the center of it all.

After learning that left tackle Tyron Smith tore his hamstring and is expected to miss 3-4 months, one of the first names that came up was Whitworth’s. It would seem to be a natural fit, seeing as Whitworth has stayed in shape and never really ruled out a return to football after retiring in March.

It began with some Twitter banter between Whitworth and Texas-based offensive line trainer Duke Manyweather. Then on Amazon’s preseason broadcast Thursday, Whitworth was asked about answering calls and texts about joining the Cowboys.

Except, Whitworth didn’t say who those calls and texts were from.

Later on Twitter, Whitworth clarified in multiple tweets that he hasn’t heard from anyone in the Cowboys’ building. It was friends, fans and reporters who he was answering calls and texts from.

That’s an important clarification.

Because Whitworth retired with one year left on his contract, the Rams still retain his rights. Therefore, any other team talking to Whitworth would be considered tampering. Any team interested in Whitworth would need to go through the Rams first, requesting permission to have those discussions.

And it’s not as if the Cowboys could simply sign Whitworth to whatever contract they want. The Rams would need to trade Whitworth – or release him from the reserve/retired list – in order for him to join the Cowboys.

This is the same situation that played out with Rob Gronkowski in 2020 when he came out of retirement. The Patriots traded him to the Buccaneers for a fourth-round pick; the Bucs couldn’t just sign him as a free agent.

While the Cowboys should be interested in Whitworth, and it could benefit the Rams if they’re willing to trade a draft pick or player, it doesn’t sound like the former All-Pro is interested in playing for Dallas.

He tweeted Friday morning that he said no when asked if the Cowboys reached out and if he was interested.

Whitworth might just be playing it coy right now, but the Cowboys would be a great situation for him if he does decide to come out of retirement. It would hurt for Rams fans to see him playing somewhere other than Los Angeles, but no one would be mad about seeing No. 77 back on the field in 2022.

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Andrew Whitworth rips NFL’s top 100 players list: ‘It’s a joke!’

Now that he’s out of the NFL, Andrew Whitworth isn’t holding back on his opinion of the top 100 players list

Andrew Whitworth has successfully made the transition from NFL left tackle to broadcaster, making his debut in the booth on Saturday during the Rams-Chargers game. He’ll be a studio analyst for Amazon during the regular season, showing he’s doing just fine in retirement.

Now that he’s out of the NFL, he’s voicing his opinion on the league’s top 100 players list, which is voted on by players and released annually. There’s already a lot of speculation about whether players actually do vote, and Whitworth indicates that’s not the case.

He called the list a joke and that it has been for a “really long time.”

I’m sure at least some players vote on the list, but it’s almost impossible to imagine all players doing so, as Whitworth points out. The NFL has begun releasing the top 100 for 2022 and not a single Rams player has made it so far in the 100-51 range.

They’ll surely have a bunch in the top 50, including Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp and likely Matthew Stafford, but regardless, the list isn’t the most accurate way to rank the best players in the NFL.

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