Is Andrew Whitworth hurt?

[augustisback003]

I read this article today and really didn't put any stock into it until I saw Mario Addison beat him around the corner on the sack with Robert Mathis that put Andy Dalton out of the game. Its a very interesting read and may explain a lot as he also struggled against Abraham in Atlanta and the Packers LB'ers last week.

excerpt~

Is Bengals Tackle Andrew Whitworth Dealing With A Lingering Injury?

One of the longest-tenured and most respected members of the Bengals organization, left tackle Andrew Whitworth is a fan favorite and cornerstone of the Bengals’ offense. He received the second spot on Pro Football Focus’ 2011 pass blocking rankings behind Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, despite suffering a foot injury during Week 1 matchup against Thomas’s Browns.
Although he excelled in pass protection, he suffered a steep decline as a run blocker. In an article, Buried in an article written in April by Geoff Hobson on the team’s website about the relationship between quarterback Andy Dalton and Whitworth was in interesting passage that I have been thinking about while watching Whitworth this preseason.
Whitworth said that he had a case of tendinitis flare up in his right knee during the season, causing his struggles in the running game. He said to Hobson:

"Basically my quad shut down. There was a lot of muscle loss in the muscle of my left leg and I’ve built it back up. I’m back to working out, doing what I normally do. Yoga. Stretching. I never had to stop. It’s about tolerating the pain. You’re still able to play and perform. You don’t get as much push as you normally would in the running game. The real issue is once you get out over your knee, it’s pretty weak. That’s pretty hard not to be able to do in the run game."

With this in mind, I have reviewed the first three 2012 preseason bouts, focusing solely on Whitworth. Very often, he has struggled in situations that would require him to push off of his left leg and use his lateral agility. Tendinitis can degenerate into tendinosis, a longer-term condition, so it is worth analyzing his play with this in mind.
First and foremost, Whitworth is a savvy pro who always is spot-on in his assignments. Even in Thursday’s match-up against the Packers, it would appear that Whitworth missed a block in a third-down goal-line situation. But that one fell on Dalton for not sliding the protection to accommodate an overloaded blitz.
He has correctly identified the correct blocker in twist stunts and helped cover for the inexperience of replacement left guard Clint Boling. Where he has struggled is in situations requiring a quick change of direction ability.
Also against the Packers, however, Whitworth was routinely beat on pass rushes where the rusher would begin an outside rush, causing Whit to begin his momentum to the left to run the rusher past Dalton. If a rusher cut back to Whitworth’s inside, he was unable to push off of his left leg sufficiently to match up with the defender. This was especially apparent against stronger defenders like the Packers’ Jerrell Worthy and the Jets’ Quinton Coples.

http://stripehype.com/2012/08/29/is-bengals-tackle-andrew-whitworth-dealing-with-a-lingering-injury/

 

[cincygrad]

If he's hurt they need to get his ass out of there and put Collins in. Collins isn't as good as Whit, but he's better than an injured Whit.

 

[flamingrey]

Collins will never see the field. He's been in Marvin's doghouse for years.

 

[vancelot23]

I was talking about this same thing on Twitter around the Packer game. Something is wrong with him, and it was apparent from the start of the preseason. Against the Falcons, John Abraham went around him several times with ease as well. Wasn't sure of the exact injury, and that sounds like a solid possible diagnosis, but you can tell he's not right.

 

[kramer1]

He's 30 years old...31 in December. He's just gettin old and losin a step. It happens.

 

[cincygrad]

Collins will never see the field. He's been in Marvin's doghouse for years.

I can't quite figure out why he re-signed with us - It's clear that we never use him even though he has shown potential when forced into action. Maybe his plan is to pick up a check for 10 years while never exposing himself to potential injury. He might be smarter than everyone else.

 

[Restore the Roar]

I can't quite figure out why he re-signed with us - It's clear that we never use him even though he has shown potential when forced into action. Maybe his plan is to pick up a check for 10 years while never exposing himself to potential injury. He might be smarter than everyone else.

Which would explain why he's in the dog house I guess

 

[bengaldoug]

He's looked terrible all preseason, so the injury would explain it.....he better step it up right now as we're headed to Baltimore......who replaces Suggs?