One hundred three games.

That's how many times William Thomas and Jon Runyan have together manned the left and right flanks, respectively, of the Eagles offensive line during the regular season. It's the most games started by a tackle tandem in Eagles history (eight more than the 95 games Stan Walters and Jerry Sisemore started at tackle together from 1975-83), and barring injury, it's a number that should continue to grow in 2007.

Like the previous seven seasons since Runyan's arrival in 2000, there will be little parity at the offensive tackle position in Lehigh. Runyan and Thomas will report to training camp in as the entrenched cornerstones of the Eagles offensive line.

More than just their physical contributions, the duo's combined 20 years of experience is invaluable to an Eagles offensive line that is otherwise relatively young.

"It's almost like they're the father and grandfather, the grandfather being Jon and the father being (William)," right guard Shawn Andrews said. "It's kind of cool to have those two guys to give us that leadership … (William) has that veteran presence and we need that. We have a lot of younger guys here so he's that support, that example."

While both players may indeed be in the latter half of their careers, neither showed signs of slowing down last season.

Runyan is the Eagles' undisputed ironman. The 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle has appeared in 160 consecutive regular season games at right tackle. Last year, Runyan and Andrews were dominant in the run game, constantly creating a forward push on the right side and opening up holes for the Eagles running backs.

Thomas has done a pretty good job of avoiding the injury bug too, at least in the regular season. The only significant time Thomas has missed due to injury was in 2005, when the 6-foot-7, 335-pound Thomas missed the final six games of the season with a back injury. That injury sidelined him until the start of training camp last season.

Once the season rolled around, injuries didn't seem to bother Thomas. He started all 16 games and put together another solid season protecting the blindsides of Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia.

This offseason, Thomas once again sat out most of the spring minicamps after knee surgery. Yet Thomas was able to return for the final week of the team's June OTAs, and insists the surgery was minor and will not hamper him at all in Lehigh.

"It was nothing that was real major, just going in and getting (the knee) cleaned up a bit," Thomas said a day after returning to practice June 11. "It was something we realized toward the end of the season with X-rays and stuff, getting that last physical."

Regardless it would be worth it to keep an eye on Thomas during two-a-days.

The reign of Thomas and Runyan cannot last forever, and with this thought in mind Winston Justice waits in the wings.

There is little that can be known about Justice at this point, except that he was a much coveted second-round choice in 2006 and had a stellar career at USC. Training camp and the preseason will provide a glimpse into exactly how much Justice has improved with a season of getting stronger and learning from offensive line coach Juan Castillo and his two established elders. Justice has been working mostly at left tackle in Philadelphia after spending his college career on the right side, which was the blindside of quarterback Matt Leinart.

For the moment Justice must settle with remaining the future for the Eagles at tackle.

The fourth and final tackle to make the squad in 2006 was the surprising Pat McCoy, a 6-foot-5, 328-pound tackle out of West Texas A&M who managed to carve out a spot on the 53-man roster after signing as a rookie free agent. McCoy is an intriguing but raw prospect – he started playing football at age 20 at Solano Community College. McCoy should benefit from an entire year with Castillo and will be fighting to hold onto his job.

Rookie free agent Jonathan Palmer, a 6-foot-4, 336-pound tackle out of Auburn, will look to contest McCoy for the fourth tackle spot. Palmer is a versatile lineman. He started at right tackle, right guard and center during his Auburn career, but found a home at right tackle his senior season. With a good camp, Palmer could indeed pose a legitimate challenge for McCoy's spot.