INDIANAPOLIS -- Thursday at the NFL helped a pair of under-fire figures to alter perceptions.The last time we heard from new coach Jim Tomsula, he was fumbling and mumbling his way through an ultra-awkward introductory news conference. Repeat that act in Indy, and Tomsula would head into the offseason as a laughing stock.Instead, he changed our minds, riffing with scribes and appearing far more comfortable behind the mic. "I didn't do a good job," Tomsula said of his January meet-and-greet, but stre sed that he has no i sues communicating with his players. After Thursday, we don't doubt it. general manager Ray Farmer also helped himself with a for his starring role in the team's texting scandal."I would Jason Taylor Jersey like to first extend an apology to the Cleveland Brown fans," Farmer said. "I know there's gonna be a lot of questions, a lot of inquiry about texting and Text Gate or whatever the new term is. So everybody hears it from my mouth: It was me."Around the NFL spent an extra 20 minutes with Farmer in the hallway, where he continued to take full accountability for his actions. Like Tomsula, he didn't dodge the i sue.Chalk it up as a step in the right direction for both men.Here are our other 20 takeaways from Thursday at the combine:Is it just us, or does something still feel, well, off about this and situation? Last week, the word was out that Manning told John Elway in a face-to-face meeting that he wanted to return for another season in Denver. On Thursday, he wants Manning to return, but has yet to get a final decision from his quarterback. Huh? Elway went on to sidestep a question about whether Manning's contract has played a role in the unsettled nature of the situation. This could still go in two very different directions.Despite a report flying around the net indicating otherwise, general manager Rick Smith and coach Bill O'Brien both expre sed optimism on Thursday that will from microfracture knee surgery. Smith expre sed confidence that Clowney can be ready for the start of the season. Clowney wasn't putting any weight on his knee as recently as last month.Speaking of the , Smith and O'Brien didn't come out and say it, but they want to continue to work with free-agent quarterback . This was a brain-trust lovefest, with both men lauding the progre s Mallett showed before and after his season-ending pectoral injury. I asked O'Brien how disappointed he'd be if another team signed Mallett. "If somebody came in and got him?" he replied in a way that made me briefly panic whether Mallett was actually still under contract. "I'd like to have him back." general manager Dave Gettleman said he hasn't spoken with since the defensive end was placed on the Exempt/Commi sioner's Permi sion List in September. He said he'd have nothing to share about Hardy until he was removed from that list. Gettleman said Hardy's situation will not change how the do busine s in the pre-draft proce s because they already are careful in their proce s. "Who wants a ticking time bomb?"Getting a new deal for is at the top of the ' priority list, but general manager Ted Thompson gave no indication where the two sides were at as free agency approaches. Thompson did acknowledge he was when Mike McCarthy came to him with the plan to relinquish play-calling duties. "(H)e's thinking in the macro sense right now in terms of how best to use his time. Where he'd like to interject a little bit more of his own attitude into different parts of the team. I think Austin Jackson Jersey that's probably the main thing, he wants to spread himself out a little bit more."-- Dan HanzusTomsula also broke a little news on Thursday, telling reporters that the are in with running back and wideout . Both players are set to become free agents, but Tomsula made it clear he wants them back. "I'm a big guy," Tomsula said, before telling that he "absolutely" wants Crabtree on the roster in 2015.As for Farmer, he shed zero light on Cleveland's quarterback situation. Asked if can be the starter, Farmer would only say that any player can succeed if put in the right position. Will the re-sign ? Will they draft a quarterback? Will they add bodies in free agency or swing a trade for a veteran? In his "On to Cincinnati" moment, Farmer answered every pa ser-related question by saying: "Everything's on the table."One other note: Something unusual is going on with . After Pettine i sued curious comments Wednesday about the rookie cornerback's Farmer on Thursday spoke of Gilbert in hazy terms, saying that you "learn more information about a player" the closer you get to him. Farmer, though, insisted that Gilbert can rebound to become the player the thought they drafted with last year's No. 8 overall pick. is no lock to make the next season. His $3 million salary is non-guaranteed and coach Gus Bradley on Thursday gushed more about and even Larry Csonka Jersey . When I asked him about Gerhart, Bradley told me: "Toby's done a nice job for us," before using the words "short-yardage" and "third-down-type" to describe the runner's strengths. Gerhart makes too much money to operate as a role player. general manager Thomas Dimitroff acknowledged that heavy cap costs for running back ($3.75 million) and wideout ($3.5 million) amount to "big decisions" for Atlanta this offseason. Dimitroff talked about the team's added emphasis on finding "play-fast, play-free" athletes to fill out coach Dan Quinn's Seattle-centric defense.-- Marc Se slerGeneral manager Ryan Grigson confirmed that the about the ' deflating footballs in advance of the AFC Championship Game. It's the first time Indianapolis publicly admitted to tattletaling. GM John Dorsey said he's met with 's representatives this week at the combine. He later told the Kansas City Star he expects the linebacker to be a Chief in 2015 -- indicating he's likely to get the franchise tag. John Schneider said he . The GM told he's got confidence and could handle the load if Beast Mode rides into the sunset. Mike McCarthy believes will return in 2015. "I must be the only one who doesn't understand why that keeps coming up," he said, per . It keeps coming up Nik Needham Jersey because the 35-year-old Peppers is due $8.5 million in base salary with a $12.5 million cap hit. Dimitroff believes running back can be the workhorse. New coach Dan Quinn agrees with that a se sment. "My first impre sion: I can feel the quickne s," Quinn said of watching film of the back. "So in our outside zone scheme I thought this is tailor made for a guy who can really explode off the edge. I love this guy's competitive spirit ... high hopes for him."-- Kevin PatraThe will soon announce something significant about the future of their franchise. On Thursday, Tom Coughlin said discu sions about his future are "underway" and that something could be made official soon. This could mean one of two things: The will again extend his contract for one year, removing the implications of a "lame duck" season. Or, Coughlin could announce something more significant. Either way, the team has to know which way he's leaning. At the moment, , Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo all have deals that expire at the same time. and the are done talking about . They would like him back, but have contingency plans in place if that ends up not being po sible, or amenable. At this point, the team has no choice but to design an offense centered around him and one that isn't. Combine on NFL NetworkIn advance of the draft, Marcus Mariota and others will look to showcase their skills at the combine (Feb. 17-23), only on NFL Network. Speaking of Zimmer, he's adopting plenty of Bill Parcells-isms, which is great news for . Zimmer Byron Jones Jersey revealed today that he sought out his quarterback after Bridgewater won the Pepsi Rookie Of The Year award and told him: 'Hey, Teddy, congratulations, I said. Now let's go win a championship unle s you just want to be a celebrity quarterback. He texted me back and he said, 'Thanks coach ... but I've never been about individual awards. All I care about is winning as a team and getting better every day and that's all I want to do."Ron Rivera and the ' coaching staff are thrilled with already. He's organizing voluntary offseason throwing se sions with some of his best players and is recovering nicely from a series of serious injuries. He's also getting his degree at the same time. Either way, Rivera has never talked more glowingly about the maturity of his franchise pa ser. The are still about a year away from financial stability. General manager Dave Gettleman said the magic number in terms of cap space is $20-25 million with roughly $8 million reserved for emergency moves in-season. Still, from the salary cap hell they were once living in, the third-year general manager has done a fantastic job of making the numbers work for him. Gettleman said the are not yet able to "shop at Tiffany's." -- Conor OrrThe latest Podcast and 's new deal with the . Find more content on .