Nick Mangold took the leadership role Wednesday, helping the Jets perform damage-control in their already turbulent offseason.

The Pro Bowl center appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, and later on "The Michael Kay Show" on 1050 ESPN New York, and he defended QB Mark Sanchez. Mangold also scolded rookie QB Greg McElroy, who made national headlines last week by claiming the locker room is filled with selfish players and contains a "corrupt" atmosphere.

Mangold said he called McElroy to tell him it wasn't cool, going public with his opinions.

"Greg got a little ahead of himself for where he is," Mangold told 1050. "A lot of things he brought up should stay in-house and should be taken care of in the locker room. I was a little disappointed with Greg and we've talked about it."

Asked if he agreed with McElroy's assessment about the selfish players, Mangold said, "I don't believe that."

The Jets didn't make Rex Ryan available Wednesday to discuss his new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, which is unusual. Chances are, they kept him away from the media, knowing he'd be asked about Sanchez getting ripped by unnamed teammates in the Daily News.

A lot of fans are wondering (and rightly so) how owner Woody Johnson feels about the sinking of his Goodship Lollipop. The Jets informed us the other day that Johnson wouldn't be available until next week because he's tied up with Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in New Hampshire. Johnson is a key fundraiser for Romney.

I think the fan base deserves to hear from the owner. What do you think?