McCown to start in place of Darnold

Josh McCown is going from mentor to starter this week for the New York Jets.

The 39-year-old quarterback will be under center Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in place of injured rookie Sam Darnold, who’s sidelined with a strained right foot.

“I’m ready to rule him out as a starter for this week,” coach Todd Bowles said of Darnold on Thursday. “I don’t know if I’ll rule him out yet for the game.”

That means Darnold still could potentially be the No. 2 quarterback. If not, Davis Webb would be promoted from the practice squad to serve as McCown’s backup.

Spat downplayed

Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther denied there is any friction between him and coach Jon Gruden and said the two remain united in trying to improve a team that has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this season.

One week after cameras caught the two coaches getting into a heated exchange after a costly blown play in Oakland’s 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Guenther laughed about the incident and called it a daily occurrence.

“Jon and I fight every day upstairs, golf course, in the car, whatever it may be,” Guenther said.

Guenther’s statement echoed comments made earlier this week by Gruden, who joked that the two have bigger disagreements on the golf course.

Trailblazer dies

Wally Triplett, the trailblazing running back who was one of the first African Americans drafted by an NFL team, died. He was 92.

The Detroit Lions and Penn State announced Triplett’s death.

Triplett was the third African American selected in the 1949 draft, but he was the first of those draftees to play in a regular-season game. He played in 24 games for the Lions and Chicago Cardinals. Triplett was also the first African American to start for Penn State.

Going too fast

Police said Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was stopped for speeding over 100 mph in his Porsche, just hours before Thursday night’s home game against Carolina.

He was cited for reckless driving.