In Andrew Whitworth, the Rams are getting much more than a new left tackle
VINCENT BONSIGNORE
link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/06/06/bonsignore-in-andrew-whitworth-the-rams-are-getting-much-more-than-a-new-left-tackle/
THOUSAND OAKS — It was a simple gesture, nothing more than a few words of instruction from one player to another. But the poignancy and significance of the moment weren’t lost on Rob Havenstein upon getting a quick visit recently from new Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
The unsolicited manner in which Whitworth approached Havenstein was incredibly telling, and that stood out to Havenstein. As it should for the rest of the offensive line and the Rams in general, for that matter.
See, there are multiple reasons the Rams targeted Whitworth, 35, in free agency this offseason – above and beyond his All-Pro caliber play, which will be a revelation to a young, struggling offensive line – and reeled him in with a three-year, $36 million contract.
The qualities the Rams coveted in Whitworth extend beyond his personal performance, which is rated among the best at his position in the NFL. Chief among them are his veteran leadership, work ethic and the non-threatening manner in which he serves up wisdom and perspective in easy-to-swallow spoonfuls rather than forcing it down someone’s throat.
Whitworth is, as one Rams executive recently pointed out, exactly what the youngest locker room in the NFL needed.
And some of the dynamics have already begun to surface.
“It is early but you see it right away,” new Rams coach Sean McVay said. “You get around him – even for me when you’re talking to him from a player’s perspective, on some of the things that you want to handle with the team. He’s been a great sounding board for me. Just watching the way he communicates with his teammates. How receptive he is to Coach (Aaron) Kromer’s techniques. He certainly knows what it looks like. He’s played at a Pro Bowl level the last couple years. We feel very fortunate to have him. His presence has definitely been felt on our offense.”
As Havenstein recently discovered.
The Rams were going through a practice during Organized Team Activities, and after a complete overhaul of the coaching staff from last year, veterans and rookies alike were trying to get a handle on their new responsibilities. Whitworth included, given his newness to the franchise and learning to play left tackle in McVay’s offense.
In other words, Whitworth had plenty stacked up on his own plate, let alone keeping a watchful eye on his linemates. And on this particular day, the move Havenstein is making from right tackle to right guard was getting the best of him.
Little did he know, he wasn’t fighting this battle alone. A few feet to his left, Whitworth detected the frustration and anxiousness in his new teammate.
“And without me even asking, (he) came over to me and (said): ‘Hey, think about this: As soon as you set, think about this, and that will put you in the right position to then do what you need to do rather than thinking about 100 things at once,’” Havenstein remembered Whitworth telling him.
Simple. But powerful.
“And that’s without me even asking him,” Havenstein said, appreciatively.
And it perfectly sums up the attributes the Rams went looking for this offseason in bringing in a handful of veteran players through free agency.
On paper, Robert Woods, John Sullivan, Connor Barwin, Lance Dunbar and Whitworth all provide upgrades at positions that desperately needed enrichment.
But their presence will also be felt in the much murkier world of intangibles, as they’ll serve as veteran mentors in a young locker room that, as willing as it is to establish a winning culture, still needs role models to lead the way.
“If you carry yourself the right way, do things the right way, guys will notice it quick,” Whitworth said.
That’s already happening with the Rams.
“Just having older guys in the locker room, you just get more people who are doing the right thing all the time. And people can see that,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “Not just from one person that they consider a ‘try hard guy” Now they have seven or eight veterans all doing it the right way. And that becomes contagious.”
No one is more appreciative of the veteran additions than Saffold, who was the lone graybeard on an impossibly young offensive line the last two years. Saffold, like Whitworth and Sullivan, is a willing tutor but at times last year he felt overwhelmed trying to excel at his job – which included playing three positions – and being a sounding board for his young linemates.
“A lot of times I was trying to help everybody, and there was just too much going on at one time,” Saffold said.
Into that classroom steps Whitworth, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound mountain of a man whose physical stature is matched by his credentials.
The 12-year-veteran has been to the Pro Bowl three of the last five years and been named All-Pro the last two seasons. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him first among all left tackles.
He’s also a three-time state champion in high school whose recruiting class at LSU won the most games in school history – including a national championship – and was a key player in the Cincinnati Bengals’ climb from cellar-dweller to playoff contender.
That includes helping the Bengals bridge the transition from veteran quarterback Carson Palmer to rookie Andy Dalton, a role he will play again with Jared Goff in Los Angeles.
“Andy and I were very close and spent a lot of time trying to pull that thing and get us to be a winner year in and year out,” Whitworth said. “I welcome that (kind of) relationship with Jared.”
From high school to the NFL, Whitworth has lived the good and bad and been part of the transformation from one to the other. And that makes him uniquely qualified to help the Rams as they try to end a 13-year string of non-winning seasons.
He doesn’t just welcome the challenge that comes with that, he purposely left his comfort zone he built for himself in Cincinnati seeking it.
“I really had an easy situation in Cincinnati as a player,” Whitworth said. “The kind of situation a lot of players sit around thinking: ‘Man I wish I could have it like that.’” But I wanted the challenge. I wanted the opportunity to go do something that people say can’t be done. I’m excited and I’m loving it. I’m welcoming the adversity and everything that comes with it. I am, because I truly believe in the power of mentality and strength and believing in yourself. And hopefully we can all pull that way and do something special.”
The Rams have been dreadful at left tackle the last three years waiting for Greg Robinson to emerge as the player they envisioned upon drafting him second overall in 2014. His failure to do so – coupled with injuries and inexperience – caused a disastrous domino effect along an offensive line that ranked last in the NFL in 2016.
The chain reaction that resulted was an offense unable to run the ball effectively – Todd Gurley went from 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015 to 885 yards and six touchdowns in 2016 – and quarterbacks Case Keenum and Goff spent far too much time under duress rather than operating in clean pockets.
The results were disastrous.
Whitworth is being counted on to stabilize the unit by locking down the left tackle spot and allowing Robinson or Jamon Brown to shift to right tackle, Havenstein to settle in at right guard and Saffold to remain at left guard rather than sliding up and down the line as he did last year.
If Sullivan can stay healthy at center, what was an eyesore last year can at least be league average in 2017. And that changes everything.
Nearly as importantly, Whitworth will be an example and sounding board for a young offensive line in need of positive mentors.
“Sometimes people misconstrue it a little bit. Most of this line is really young,” Whitworth said. “The reality for me is just being here and being an encourager and help them when they’re doing something positive or pulling them aside and saying ‘Hey you’re doing a good job of that.’ Or if there’s something I feel, (saying) ‘Hey man I’ve done it a different way or seen it a certain way and this is what I feel (the coaches) are telling you what to do.’
“I feel like that’s kind of what I’m expected to do, just be a extra person in their ear telling them something positive or let’s take steps towards his direction and let’s let this be our new standard.”
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