Searels Speaks... Again!

So for two years, Stacy Searels refused to talk to the media. Then, several things happened:

1.) He was widely lauded by everyone who watched Georgia's O line overcome myriad injuries last year.

2.) Mike Bobo informed him, jokingly, that he'd be fined for missing media requests.

3.) He interviewed for a coaching job at another school.

Whether any of those things caused a change of heart in Searels' attitude toward us lowly media folks, I can't say. But the important part is, he's talking. First, he spoke with reporters at signing day. Now, he's talking to us during the spring. He's probably not too happy about it, but hey, we all do things we don't want. Like how I had to root for the Giants in last year's Super Bowl because I actually hated the Patriots more. Friggin' Belichick.

Anyway, Searels chatted with us for a few minutes Wednesday, and here are some highlights of what he had to say along with some video from the interview...

Searels on Dallas Lee's introduction to spring practice...
"He's doing good. It's a kid who should still be in high school right now, but he's out there working and it's an eye-opening experience for him."

Searels on when he knew he had a special player in Clint Boling...
"When I went and watched him play basketball and saw him dunk and score 20-something points, I thought that was pretty impressive for an offensive lineman."

Searels on what this spring is about...
"Right now, we're looking at this spring as trying to get to be the best we can be individually. Then when we get everybody back, we'll figure out through the summer and summer camp how we'll fit in to the positions. Right now we're working on the fundamentals, we're working on competing, toughness. Those are the things we're looking for."

Searels on how he'll decide next year's O line starting lineup...
"The thing we believe here, and I've heard it said many times, is we want to get the best five on the field. I don't care if he's a guard, center or a tackle. If it gets in a situation where you have a guy with a guard's body who is the very best tackle – that's what we would do. We want to try to find the best five combination, and the first sub is going to be the sixth guy. He's going to be the best player. He's not going to be the second right tackle. He's going to be the sixth best player. That's why I want guys to understand how it all fits together. You're not just a right tackle. You're not just a left guard. You're an offensive lineman and you need to understand that it all works together and if someone goes down and you're the next guy in line, you go."