Following up on the Lawing transcription, here's everything Tim Lewis had to say during his virtual availability on Thursday:

On Donovan Ezeiruaku

"That may be my first (1st team All-American). I've coached for a long time. Nine years of college football prior to this and I don't think I've ever seen a first-team consensus All-American and all that. I guess I have. At Texas A&M we had some really good players. Pitt we weren't very good and SMU we were just bringing the program back from the death penalty. So, I don't remember as a GA the Texas A&M players that were super good, but I'm sure there were a bunch. But, working with (Donovan) every day hand-in-hand., that was a lot of fun. To see the smile on his face and the way that he worked, there's no doubt he's one of the better ones I've been around. To watch it bloom and blossom the way that it did was really cool. When I first got hired in February, he was the first guy that came up and sat in my office. He asked me about the (defensive) package. What do you run? Are you a 4-3 guy, a 3-4 guy? I've heard a lot about you. Tell me everything . How you plan on using me and your package, where do you see me?'

"I shared with him that I had been around Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd, Joey Porter and Jason Gildan and some really good players with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I've also coached on different teams with Aldon Smith and Ahmad Bradshaw. I've coached with Jonathan Abraham, I've been with Julius Peppers. I've been with some really good defensive ends slash outside linebacker types...Michael Strahan...Osi Umenyora, Mathias Kiwanuka, some really good players over the years. I'm not saying he's them, but I am saying I've had experience with those kinds of guys and (Donovan) bit hook, line and sinker to what I was selling day one. It was really an easy transition to get him to transition between outside linebacker - which he had never done - he hadn't played outside backer, he hadn't dropped into coverage - with the frequency he did with me. Then, play defensive end in sub packages, nickel package. It was a very natural fit for him and he really enjoyed doing it.

"He had to learn a lot, but he showcased that he could play inside backer outside backer and defensive end, rush end, drop end and that was a treat to see."

On going against Dylan Raiola from Nebraska

"We've played some really talented quarterbacks this year. I don't know that he's overly different, but I do think that he's very talented. We've played guys that can throw it. We've played guys that can run it. We've played small guys. We've played big guys. He's somewhere in-between. He's not enormous, but he is a bigger guy. He can throw it. He can touch-pass it. He can drop it, drop the bombs on you. He can drill it. He's accurate. He's mobile enough. We've played some kids that can really run this year. The kid from SMU, the kid from Michigan State, Western Kentucky...Virginia. We've played against guys that can pull it down and run. He's not necessarily like that, but he's not the slowest cat either. He can pull it down and move. He buys time with his feet. He's accurate. He's a big kid that can throw it. He's a leader. He's very talented, a lot like a lot of the kids we've played this year."

On the process of assimilating freshmen and sophomores into roles when injuries pop up

"I don't know that you're ever comfortable with knowing that they're ready. I think...I remember when I got to be a coordinator for the first time in the NFL. Coach Cowher brought me in and he said 'are you ready to do this?' I said 'oh yeah' because that's what all young guys with a lot of energy...(they say) 'oh yeah, hell yeah I'm ready to go coach' and he looked at me and said 'you're not ready, but I'll help you.' That's exactly how I think about these young guys that step in here. We have had a lot of guys play this year. We've had a lot of young guys play this year. They're not ready, but I can help them. That's what I try to get them to understand. That you're not ready. There's no way you're going to go out on the field...Ashton McShane for example, he's gonna start in a night game against the kid from Louisville, I can't remember his name, but that guy's going to be a first round pick probably. Here we are, we've got a 17-year old freshman out there trying to cover a first round pick. He's not ready, but he had to do it and I could help him. So, that's how it's going to be. As far as I'm concerned, it's always been that way. Coach Cowher taught me a great deal. Working with him with the Steelers for a long time, it's kind of that next man up mentality. We don't really look at their age. We don't really look at their experience and all that. When it's their turn to play and they're forced into duty, we'll put them in there. We'll give them an opportunity. They've earned it and we'll help them."

On how the scheme has needed to adapt with injuries

"It's had to evolve. That's a great question and a great answer. That's why (Bill O'Brien) hired me as a coordinator, because I can recognize that certain people need help. Certain matchups are not very good for us. I've had enough experience to kind of get us into something we can win with. That's really the answer to your question. Yeah, things change. We've got to figure out how to fix it and get it fixed in a hurry and still be able to win with it. That's why (O'Brien) hired me. I try to bring the staff up to speed with how it is that we're going to change (scheme), how it is that we have to adjust it. We've got a young guy here, maybe we have a small guy here, we've got a guy that's maybe not as fast...yeah, you always are tinkering and trying to figure out how to play checkers with them, or chess with them...if they think you're only capable of playing checkers, you're in trouble. We've got to be able to match what it is they do with whatever the personnel or people or scheme that we've designed. We've got to make sure that we put our kids in position to win. That's the name of the game. It's always evolving."

On where he thinks the defense has improved the most and which player specifically has improved the most

"I don't know, that's a really good question. I hate to single guys out because there's so many that have stepped up and played. There are a bunch of guys...our defensive line for example. We lost our really good player, our defensive tackle Cam Horsely, he was out for a couple of weeks and some guys that hadn't played a lot stepped up and played. We had a guy on our team that when I got here in February, was on the sideline injured reserve, really...Ty Clemons. Ty was not even figuring into my plans as we started the season. He's the kid that intercepted the ball for a touchdown there at the end of the year, probably getting 20-30 reps a game as the season evolved. Outside linebackers...Q Hutchins. When I got hired in February, he was a special teams guy. We went through the roster with the coaches that were here previously. They said 'yup, Q Hutchins, really good athlete, special teams guy.' Q, by midseason ended up being a starter at outside linebacker opposite of Donovan and ended up getting maybe three sacks I think during the course of the year. He's going to be one of our really talented players going into his senior year. He's really come a long way since I got here.

"Our starter at safety Carter Davis he was a corner when I got hired here...played corner all through the spring practices and the summer practices and training camp. It wasn't until seven days before we played against Florida State that he tried safety, much less started in the game at safety and has come a long way. Omar Thornton was a freshman...a true freshman and ended up getting a starting job as a safety. Now, he's in the rotation. We rotate three safeties through every series. True freshman, fantastic job. Same thing...Amari Jackson gets hurt against Virginia and we started Ashton McShane. A young, 17-year old corner from Dallas, Texas. So, I think a lot of guys really stood up and stood out. For example, our starting linebacker in this game is Joe Marinaro.

"At the beginning of the season, Joe was a walk-on that got awarded a scholarship in a team meeting maybe a couple weeks into the season because of his performance on special teams. He's our starting middle linebacker. So, a lot of guys really stood up and stand out in my mind. The way they've improved. They we they've approached their business. The way they've approached their work. The way they've approached practice and football, there are a lot of guys that stand out to me...which group? I don't necsessarily know if any group is out-performing another. They've all had players in their area that have risen up to answer the call. (Marinaro) probably stands out the most because he was a walk-on guy. He's really small, he's just a nice guy. Everybody loves him, he's been here for a long time. He was the third linebacker...our third, my third middle linebacker green dot.

"We started with Kam Arnold. He hurt his shoulder against Virginia. Then, we went to Owen McGowan and he tore a peck against Syracuse. So, then we said 'ok, Joe...I don't know if Joe's going to be able to do it.' Well, he went in against SMU and did a really nice job. He kept the job against North Carolina and then Pitt. He ended up starting three games and he's done a fantastic job. So, it's a great story. It's a 'Rudy' story if ever there was one."