Whitworth deserves Pro Bowl, but he's not worried about it

Credit: John Boyle

Credit: John Boyle

Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth is having arguably the best season of his nine-year career, but he said he doesn’t expect to see his name pop up when the Pro Bowl rosters are announced Tuesday.

“I don’t know how many tackles haven’t given up a sack all season, but I doubt it’s many,” Whitworth said. “I don’t worry about that. It’s fine.”

According to ProFootballFocus.com, Whitworth leads all tackles with a 98.5 grade in pass-blocking efficiency. He has allowed nine pressures on 463 pass-block snaps, and in eight of the 14 games he has allowed zero pressures.

“It’s not a contest for me to get to the Pro Bowl,” Whitworth said. “My job is to get my team to the playoffs and win a playoff game. I know if this thing was done off of film and tape I’d be in it.”

Whitworth has been voted to the Pro Bowl once in his career, in 2012. And while he said it was an honor and a memorable experience, he said the praise he gets from opponents is something he values more.

"I think I get my satisfaction, honestly, every week," he said. "We've played 14 games, and every single week I've had a coach or a player from the other team stop me and say you're one of the best that plays this game. We played Tampa Bay, the D-line coach grabbed me and told me he thought I was the best all-around tackle in the game. Things like that.

"In Indianapolis the whole entire line for that game, after they just whupped our tails, they found me and said 'man, respect the crap out of you and how you play,'" Whitworth continued. "That kind of stuff to me takes more value than any Pro Bowl. I will remember that more than I would ever remember a Pro Bowl experience. So those are the kinds of things I take satisfaction, guys respecting you and the way you play the game. Over time, I've just learned that's more important to me than if you win a popularity contest."

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