Backside tackles are important in the NFL and the Eagles have been fortunate to have a steady one in William Thomas.

A technically sound lineman, Thomas' 6-foot-7, 335-pound frame anchored the left side for an offensive line that was at its best in 2006 but struggled at times in 2007.

Last season, Thomas and Co. were terrific in the run game as the line paved the way for what was a Pro Bowl year turned in by Brian Westbrook (1,333 yards rushing, 771 receiving). Week in and week out, the line did a nice job creating space for Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, who averaged 4.8 and 5 yards respectively.

Where the Eagles were not as good up front was in pass protection. The unit has to shoulder some of the blame for the 49 sacks absorbed by Eagles quarterbacks as well as the offense's lack of success inside the red zone and a reduction in the number of explosive plays from the line of scrimmage.

A three-time Pro Bowl player, Thomas' absence was magnified in the team's most forgettable outing of the season -- a 16-3 loss to the Giants at the Meadowlands on Sept. 30. Sidelined with an MCL sprain, Thomas could only watch as New York's defense registered 12 sacks of Donovan McNabb, who lost 62 yards on those sacks. McNabb finished 15 of 31 for 138 yards.

A month later, Thomas and his linemates put on one of their best showings at the Metrodome where they squared off against one of the biggest, baddest, most physical defensive lines in the NFL, anchored by Kevin and Pat Williams. The line gave McNabb plenty of time against a defense that blitzed on nearly every down through the first half, and then plenty thereafter. In all, the Eagles racked up 385 yards of total offense and McNabb was outstanding, completing 23 of 36 passes for 333 yards and a touchdown. He had a passer rating of 103.1.

Even more impressive was the fact that the line committed no false-start penalties and no holding penalties in the loud dome.

Thomas has played a major part in the McNabb's success over the years. In fact, McNabb overcame a bumpy start in 2007 to complete 61.5% of his passes (2nd best percentage of his career) for 3,324 yards and an 89.9 QB rating.

Despite the numbers, though, the Eagles failed to score 21 points in 10 of their games, including five of their first six. The Eagles ranked 17th in points per game (21.0) but were in the top 10 in total offense (358.1 - 6th); rushing offense (123.4 - 8th); and passing offense (234.7 - 10th).

Thomas and right tackle Jon Runyan were the elder statesmen up front. Thomas and Runyan finished up their eighth year together as the team's starting tackles. Since 2000, only two pairs of tackles have been together as long (Green Bay's Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, and Washington's Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen) but neither has as many regular season or postseason starts together (118 and 14, respectively) as Runyan and Thomas.

Thomas ranks fourth in team history in games played by an offensive lineman (150) and has missed just nine games due to injury during his NFL career.

- BOB KENT

NOTE: PhiladelphiaEagles.com will not profile players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.




I give Thomas a lot of credit for remaining a good left tackle for so long. He has been doing this since 1998 and I think at times Thomas' play is taken for granted. I hope that isn't the case at all. Thomas remains nimble on his feet and he keeps his body right, despite some mounting aches and pains that are unavoidable when you have played the game for so long.

Thomas is back and, as usual, he will give Donovan McNabb ample protection on the quarterback's blind side. The Eagles are in good shape as long as Thomas is on the field. We're talking about one of the best left tackles to ever play the game for the Eagles, and the fans recognized him for his long-time performance by voting Thomas onto the Eagles' 75th Anniversary Team last spring in a vote on PhiladelphiaEagles.com.

Thomas is in the final year of his contract, which I'm sure will be a topic for conversation during the year in the media and among the fans. On the field, where it counts, Thomas will deliver the same steady play he always brings to the table. That is a comfortable feeling to have.