Jets' problems start at the top with Woody

• Jets owner Woody Johnson told the media he just wants to win
• Johnson seemed to refute a report that marketing was the reason the Jets acquired Tim Tebow
• Johnson, GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan are capable of ending the Jets' craziness

Not once during Rex Ryan's press conference on Wednesday did the New York Jets coach field a question about the St. Louis Rams, the team his squad will face Sunday.

And not once, after a run of questions about the anonymously sourced Tim Tebow-bashing article in the New York Daily News, did Ryan stop the interrogation to say, "Does anybody have any questions about the game? Because if not, I have to get to practice."

The assembled reporters might've rolled their eyes, grumbled a bit and ignored the first attempt to steer the conversation away from gossip and toward football, but the message would've been clear:

I'm in control here.

And in my locker room.

That's the problem with the Jets right now: Who's in control?

It's not owner Woody Johnson, who has shown by forcing Tebow on his coaches without a plan on how to use him, that he should stay out of football decisions and stick to what he allegedly knows best – the business side of things. Johnson met with the Jets media on Thursday, but he's more comfortable yukking it up with the stock-market guys at CNBC, who treat him like a celebrity, not a clueless owner of a mismanaged NFL organization.

Johnson told reporters Thursday that he "didn't sign up for 3-6."

Then he pointed a finger at the media: "You guys have been accusing me of this phony story of me being more concerned with PSLs or cash or something else," he said, talking about Tebow without actually saying his name.

"My job is to win games. That's what my passion is," Johnson said. "That's what I want to do. That's why I'm spending all this time in this organization. It's not to sell PSLs or to sell hot dogs."

Surely by "you guys," Johnson wasn't only referring to the media.

"Selling seats, man," quarterback Mark Sanchez said earlier this season in reference to the addition of Tebow.

Sanchez gets it. Maybe it's because he recalled Johnson saying in August, "You can never have too much Tebow."

Wonder if Johnson has changed his mind, seeing that Tebow hasn't sold any seats (Side note: How empty is MetLife Stadium going to be on Thanksgiving night?) and that his team is now choking on Tebowmania.

So, who's in control?

It's not general manager Mike Tannenbaum, a possible lame duck who has assembled a roster of me-first players who have no chemistry. Remember, this is the same organization that acquired trouble-making wide receiver Santonio Holmes, committed tens of millions of dollars to him, then made him a captain – which is like naming Lindsay Lohan a drivers-ed instructor.

The chemistry is a mess. There are no leaders to replace the ones jettisoned in years past. That's why Tannenbaum might be the first to go when this wasted season ends.

So, who's in control – Ryan?

The guy with who previously had the loosest tongue in the joint? He's tried to conduct more professional press conferences, but his players haven't followed suit. He hasn't had control of the Jets this year since they were brawling in preseason. They're still brawling, only with whispers instead of fists. Meanwhile, the season has slipped away.

The Jets' drama "has been every single day,'' former NFL coach Jon Gruden said. "I turn on the TV and sometimes they're not even talking about any other team. There are 32 teams in this league."

But only one that's spins out of control on a daily basis.

Ryan tries to give his players what former Jet Wayne Hunter described as an "open locker room," meaning the freedom to say what they want. But that's not working.

If the Jets need a blueprint to fix this, they don't have to look far.

Tebow was brought here to steal headlines from the Giants, who had just won their second Super Bowl in four years. Those defending champs, by the way, have been nudged off the back page this week in the midst of a two-game slide and a slump by Eli Manning and the passing game.

The Giants are going about their business of finding a solution to their issues during this bye week, and they're relieved no one is talking about them right now.

But as much as the Jets want to be the Giants, think about this:

John Mara, Jerry Reese, Tom Coughlin.

Is there any doubt that any of them has total control over his domain?

The Giants go about their business as quietly as possible. They bring in players because of football acumen and ability, not headline-grabbing potential. The pieces fit together. Do the Giants have 53 angels who only say the right thing? Not. Even. Close. But show us the NFL roster that does and we'll show you an 0-16 record on the way.

Still, when trouble pops up, Coughlin handles it internally, gives a quick comment to the media and moves on. The Giants control the message. Their players, for the most part, stick to the company line. They don't gripe in public. They don't cheap-shot teammates anonymously.

That's the organization the Jets are battling for headlines. The one they're annually trying to knock off in the AFC East – the New England Patriots – is just as sure of its inside operations and outgoing messages.

The Jets must get control of their own building again. What's happening on Sunday is embarrassing, and what's happening during the week is even worse.

The Jets are out of control.

But who will grab the wheel?