Amarius Mims receives high praise from former Bengals Pro Bowler who knows exactly what it's like to be in his shoes
There aren't many players larger than Andrew Whitworth in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. Amarius Mims is one of them.Carrying that size means carrying equally large expectations. Mims was drafted 18th overall last year to be the next great Bengals offensive tackle, with Whitworth being the most recent example. Players who move like they do […]
There aren't many players larger than Andrew Whitworth in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. Amarius Mims is one of them.
Carrying that size means carrying equally large expectations. Mims was drafted 18th overall last year to be the next great Bengals offensive tackle, with Whitworth being the most recent example. Players who move like they do whilst towering over defenders aren't held to modest standards. They're expected to be great.
Sometimes it may take a year or two, and Whitworth knows this to be true.
It's been nearly 20 years since Whitworth began his career on the bench behind veteran left tackle Levi Jones. His first-ever start was at left guard in Week 2 of the 2006 season, though he would man Jones' spot later on in the year. His pass blocking efficiency score of 96.6 for the season would be the lowest of his 16-year Hall of Fame-worthy career according to Pro Football Focus. The first of his four Pro Bowl nods wouldn't come for another six years.
It took time for Whitworth to become the dominant lineman he was, time he knows that Mims still needs to reach his full potential on the other side of the formation.
"Fun to watch," Whitworth said of Mims to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "It's just like quarterbacks and every other position. We put so much emphasis on these young guys being whatever it is the very first year. It's such a process. Especially in that offense where literally he just lines up in the shotgun and is put in the most challenging scenarios he's ever going have in his career.
"That takes time. He's got all the ability in the world. I'm excited."
Mims certainly flashed enough to warrant that excitement. His pass blocking efficiency score of 96.4 was nearly identical to Whitworth’s mark from '06 and he surrendered just two pressures in the last four games of the season. The progression he made from his first start in Week 4 all the way to his promising December is exactly what you need to see from a 22-year old with untapped potential.
Whitworth is also on to something about the offense surrounding Mims. Being in shotgun most of the time in a pass-heavy offense has its disadvantages for o-linemen. In the nine games in which Mims repped fewer than 15 true pass sets, he allowed just one sack and five hurries. He allowed two hits and 12 hurries in the six games he had 15 or more true pass sets.
That difficult isn't going to go away, especially with the identity of the Bengals' offense staying the same, but the experience Mims cultivated last year will only help him improve this year.
If Whitworth is excited about Mims, then Bengals fans should feel the same way. He handled plenty of literal and figurative pressure as a rookie, and is poised to take a notable step forward after such a challenging season.
It may be a few years before he develops the consistency Whitworth had, but the trajectory he's on indicates that is in his future.
And that is, indeed, exciting.
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