Jets expect Geno Smith to start:

The New York Jets may have traded for Ryan Fitzpatrick, and drafted Bryce Petty, but while the team may want to push Geno Smith, it sounds like they have no plans of replacing the third-year quarterback as the team’s starter.

When asked about the position, new Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey confirmed the position is Smith’s to lose.

“Right now, Geno is the starter,” Gailey told the New York Daily News. “And (that’s) the way we expect it to be.”

Jets head coach Todd Bowles understands the importance of quarterback play. Last season he was the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, who had the best record in the NFL when their quarterback, Carson Palmer went down with an injury.

Bowles also knows how a team with a great defense can carry a team if the doesn’t make mistakes, and playing mistake free football will be the most important thing for Smith and the Jets if they’re to succeed in year-one under Bowles. While Bowles seems ready to roll with Smith, he isn’t heaping praise on the young man before he can see the team work in pads.

“He has done what everyone else has done,” Bowles said at the team’s OTAs. “He’s played two-hand touch and he’s (been) pretty good at it. Again, we have a two-hand touch football team right now and you can’t evaluate. You’re not able to hit receivers, you’re not able to hit the quarterback, you can’t disrupt timing, you really can’t get hands on guys, but from a learning standpoint, a studying standpoint, and understanding where he’s going with the football he has done a good job. Again, in two days of OTAs practices and three voluntary minicamps, that’s not a knock against him and it’s not a feather in his cap. It’s just five days of practice out of pads.”

For Smith and the Jets, there have been a lot of positive changes, including the addition of a true No. 1 receiver in Brandon Marshall. The Jets have added weapons on offense and built what should be a top-3 defense. Smith is going to have every opportunity to succeed this season, and he knows being considered the starter going into camp is important for his growth.

“Obviously getting first-team reps is important,” Smith said at Jets OTAs. “Like I said, going up against that first-team defense will make all of us a lot better so whenever you go (Darrelle) Revis and Cro (Antonio Cromartie) on that opposite side, you got Mo (Muhammed Wilkerson) and Sheldon (Richardson) and Leonard Williams and all the guys that we have, they are going to help us out. As far as myself, I have to go out there and make the right read, make the right throw, not do too much. I’m not going on the field thinking about anything other than getting better. I think that’s going to help me out most of all.”

Giants lose left tackle Will Beatty to torn pectoral:

The New York Giants offensive line was going to take some time to gel as only Will Beatty was expected to start at the same position he did a year ago. Unfortunately those plays will need to be altered as Beatty tore his pectoral muscle and will likely miss at least five months.

The original plan had Beatty holding down the left side of the line while Justin Pugh was set to move inside to guard with the returning Geoff Schwartz, as Weston Richburg would take over at Center and first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers was slotted to start at right tackle.

Suddenly that plan has been turned on its head as the Giants will now have to turn to either Justin Pugh or Ereck Flowers to slide in at left tackle.

The decision will be an interesting one. Neither Flowers nor Pugh is ready to play left tackle, but they’re still the best options the Giants have unless they think they can get starter quality minutes out of Marshall Newhouse.

The Giants have said they expect Ereck Flowers to one day be the starting left tackle, and it’s possible they may have to give him a look there a lot sooner than they had hoped. Pugh’s struggles at right tackle leave a lot of questions as to whether he’d be able to protect Eli Manning’s blind side week in and week out.

NFL announces Los Angeles could host 2020 Super Bowl:

If you still weren’t sure that the NFL would find itself back in the Los Angeles market sooner than later, the league’s announcement that Los Angeles could join Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay in the running to host the Super Bowl in 2020.

The NFL will consider Los Angeles as a Super Bowl host city only if a stadium and team is in place by 2018. The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams who both called Los Angeles home in the early 90’s, and the San Diego Chargers have all been linked to a possible move to Los Angeles.

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis has said he’s doing everything he can to keep the team in Oakland, and a San Diego group recently released a 42-page financing plan for a $1.1 billion Chargers stadium to replace Qualcomm Stadium, where the team has been since 1967.

The Super Bowl has been held in Los Angeles seven times before, with two being played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and five others being played at the Rose Bowl.