Captain turned Crybaby? Andrew Whitworth thinks the Bengals are one-way...

Before the draft, Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth challenged the Bengals to “mess up and draft” a tackle with designs on replacing him in the lineup anytime soon.

It’s more than fair to say that the Bengals were not dissuaded by Whitworth’s words. They drafted Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi in the first round and then followed up with Oregon tackle Jake Fisher in the second round, giving themselves a pair of potential successors to the 33-year-old Whitworth as he enters the final year of his contract.

Whitworth responded to the moves at the team’s headquarters on Monday and expressed disappointment that the Bengals neither told him about their plans at tackle nor responded to his request to discuss an extension of his contract.

“I want to be above and beyond and do more than the average guy in this locker room. But it’s hard to do that when the feeling’s not reciprocated. Really, it’s just a one-way street,” Whitworth said, via ESPN.com. “[When the team says] we’d like you to be the leader of our football team, but we’d also like the best situation possible for us to talk to you when we want to, that’s a one-way street and not really top-of-the-line in customer service. But it is what it is. Hopefully one day that conversation will be had and I’ll be here.”

Whitworth doesn’t seem to hold any grudges against the new players, both of whom he invited over to his house to watch the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight. Ogbuehi had already left town, but Fisher got a chance to spend some time with a locker room leader on his new team.

That kind of invitation is why Whitworth became a team leader, although those qualities only buy you so much time when a team makes it clear that they’re investing in a different future at the position.

Andrew Whitworth frustrated by Bengals? refusal to discuss extension | ProFootballTalk

I guess my response to Whit (if I ran across him in Kroger or something like that) would be "You just now figure that out hoss cat?"

On a side note, I greatly respect Whit for inviting those players over to his house which shows he is in fact the leader in the locker room.

For some reason I think many players really haven't thought about it happening to them. They will all say they understand it's a business, but at the same time I think in the back of their minds they are thinking it couldn't happen to them because the team couldn't go on without them. When they find it is truly a business they get a little ego bruise.

That is what happened to Whitt I believe.

By all accounts Whit is a good dude & great teammate.

That is just silly of him to think the Bengals would tell him if they were going to draft tackle. First of all, I doubt they knew they were drafting two tackles going into the draft. That is just how it went based on who was taken and the Bengals going for best player on the board.

That being said the person who really should be worried is Andre Smith. If he wants to get paid, he better get it done this off season. The Bengals have options now if he isn't ready to go. And if he isn't on the field this fall, good luck getting the money you want in free agency.

I thought he was acting a little childish on Twitter, retweeting a bunch of dumb fan tweets as the first two rounds played out. He's been a great Bengal and I hope he resigns and moves to guard for a couple of years to end his career. He will not be worth a huge contract and really isn't all that effective at Tackle anymore anyway. Him being this upset is really suprising for a guy that has been around the league as long as him, especially as good as a leader as he has been.

I thought he was acting a little childish on Twitter, retweeting a bunch of dumb fan tweets as the first two rounds played out. He's been a great Bengal and I hope he resigns and moves to guard for a couple of years to end his career. He will not be worth a huge contract and really isn't all that effective at Tackle anymore anyway. Him being this upset is really suprising for a guy that has been around the league as long as him, especially as good as a leader as he has been.

I have a friend that lives in Ft Thomas and he said there was a for sale sign in Whit's yard Saturday

That's just not true, with all due respect.

I simply disagree, IMO he only had 1 or 2 good years as a tackle and I think he's always been a better guard. Don't get me wrong he's a great lineman and a tremendous run blocker, I've always thought he was a touch slow to effectively protect the edge. He's one of my favorite Bengals ever so I hate to point out things that are negative.

That's just not true, with all due respect.

You're absolutely right -- Whitworth has been one of the best tackles in the game.

Whitworth graded out as the best left tackle last year. I believe he gave up one sack. But he is 33 and he will need a back up to learn the position.

You're absolutely right -- Whitworth has been one of the best tackles in the game.

Yup. He's a great one and one of my all-time most-respected Bengals. If he can't get things done with them contractually and wants to chase a Super Bowl, he'd look good in Black'n'Gold. I'm sure Tomlin could find a spot for him.

It IS A BUSINESS! There is no such thing as loyalty to players and players giving hometown discounts. kinda disappointed he responded this way. Go out kick butt, go to Free Agency and sign one last big contract. That's just the way it is. He's made millions, no sympathy here. ...and I love the guy.

Several teams just do not hold onto players reaching that close to that past their prime age.

Had breakfast at First Watch with him once, AWESOME guy!

With all the free agents the Bengals will have next year, I don't see them renegotiating contracts. Wait till after the season and see what you need to do then.