Now that the NFL investigation has reportedly found 11 of New England’s 12 allotted game footballs in the AFC Championship Game were underinflated, the topic continues to be the talk around the nation and league whether the Patriots cheated.

Reports surfaced after the Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl with a 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night that they purposely deflated footballs. ESPN reported Tuesday night that the investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what’s required by NFL regulations.

“We are not commenting at this time,” said Greg Aiello, the NFL’s senior vice president of communications.

The “DeflateGate” opinions go wide and far. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes an opposite viewpoint on the NFL’s rule for inflating footballs. He wants them fully inflated. And former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson has admitted to paying to have the footballs tampered with before the 2003 Super Bowl.

—If the footballs were altered in the AFC Championship Game — or any game — Hall of Fame coach John Madden suggests the primary suspect behind whatever happened should be the quarterback, in this case New England’s Tom Brady.

“That would have to be driven by the quarterback,” Madden told The Sports Xchange on Wednesday. “That’s something that wouldn’t be driven by a coach or just the equipment guy. Nobody, not even the head coach, would do anything to the football unilaterally, such as adjust the amount of pressure in a ball, without the quarterback not knowing. It would have to be the quarterback’s idea.”

Madden, who serves as a consultant to commissioner Roger Goodell and is on a couple of subcommittees that oversee various elements of the game, says he believed Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who said this week that he knew nothing about it.

—Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning wants to return for the 2015 season but can’t make a final decision until he takes his annual physical, the Denver Post reported Wednesday.

Three sources told columnist Woody Paige that Manning will await tests on his neck and the thigh injury that bothered him at the end of the season and seemed to significantly impair his ability to throw the ball. Manning, who turns 39 in March, had multiple neck surgeries before joining the Broncos three seasons ago and he has been checked every year to ensure that his neck can still withstand the hits.

The Broncos have requested that Manning let them know his plans by March 9 — the day before teams must exercise their rights on veteran players under contract. He is due $19 million next season.

—The Cleveland Browns hired Oakland Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as their offensive coordinator on Wednesday.

DeFilippo, 36, has never been a coordinator or play-caller in the NFL. He has spent the past three seasons with Oakland, grooming rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who passed for 3,270 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2014.

DeFilippo will replace Kyle Shanahan, who asked out of his contract after one season.

—Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley is excited about adding two assistants to his staff with a wealth of coaching experience.

The Jaguars officially announced Wednesday the hiring of former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone as assistant head coach for offense and offensive line coach and former Oakland Raiders assistant Greg Olson as the new offensive coordinator.

“Both possess the qualities that we want in our organization,” Bradley said. “Greg is a veteran coach that is very detailed and will work hard to develop our players on the offensive side of the ball. Doug has a ton of experience coaching the offensive line and a strong background in developing players.”

Marrone went 15-17 in two seasons with the Bills before opting out of his contract. Olson returns to the Jaguars after serving as their assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in 2012. He replaces Jedd Fisch, who was let go after Jacksonville’s offense struggled the past two seasons.

—Woody Johnson has presided over what passes for one of the most successful eras in New York Jets history. But the team’s owner knows merely getting close to the Super Bowl a few times will not suffice for a franchise — and a fan base — that is 46 years removed from Joe Namath running off the field with his right pointer finger raised high in the air after the Super Bowl III upset of the Baltimore Colts.

In general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles, Johnson believes he has the people in place who can turn the Jets into an elite team. Maccagnan and Bowles, who were hired a day apart last week, were officially introduced Wednesday during a press conference inside a packed auditorium at the Jets’ training complex.

“These gentlemen sitting to my left are, in my estimation, the people to do it,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence in them based on the short time I’ve known them. I’m very, very encouraged that they can put it together.”

The Jets finished the 2014 season with a 4-12 record under Rex Ryan, who was fired.

—The futures of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Cory Redding remain up in the air now that the 2014 season is over.

Wayne played most of the 2014 season with an elbow injury and a torn muscle near the elbow. He will have surgery during the offseason to take care of the torn muscle. His status for 2015 has not been determined. Wayne’s contract expires March 10.

Redding has not made a decision whether he will be returning for the 2015 season. Redding, who is 34, has hinted during the season that this year might have been his last in the NFL. He plans to get away for a few weeks with family and then sit down with team officials before making a final decision.

—The stage was set for Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty to prove to NFL scouts that he has the skill-set to start at the next level in a pro-style scheme based on the makeup of roster at the Senior Bowl this week.

And while he showed some improvements during practice, there are still more questions than answers about Petty’s future in the NFL. During Wednesday morning’s practice, his footwork was good. He displayed good movements skills with three- and five-step drops and improved timing with his targets.

However, he bobbled several snaps and had a tough time with the process from under center, appearing out of sync and uncomfortable as he makes the transition from a spread, shotgun offense at Baylor where most reads came before the snap.