Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said on Tuesday that running back Maurice Jones-Drew is skipping OTA’s because he wants a new contract.

“I’m in the coaching end of these matters, and I’ve talked to him about football and what I can do on the field and in the locker room,” Mularkey said according to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.

Neither Jones-Drew nor his agent, Adisa Bakari, have said publicly that he wants an extension, but there’s been much speculation because his contract has been surpassed by several running backs.

A team spokesman said there have been no discussions about a contract extension for Jones-Drew.

Speaking publicly for the first time since a bar fight last month, Terrance Knighton opened with an apology.

He apologized to the city of Jacksonville and the organization for “embarrassing them with the actions that happened that night.” Then he answered any and every question about that night, his rehabilitation and his chances of making a full recovery.

If his eye responds as well, the Jaguars should have their run-stuffing defender back for training camp.

Knighton says he tried to break up a fight at a Jacksonville nightclub April 8. Knighton was hit in the head with a bottle, and glass cut his eye.

He needed stitches and a second surgery to remove a cataract. His vision is 20/60 now, and he expects to recover in time for training camp.

Hey guys – won’t it be great to tell your lady that you could have a chance to win a year’s supply of groceries? Our friends at Ball Park are running a Facebook contest, asking fans to share a photo or video showcasing a funny/crazy example of “something only a guy would do” to win BIG.

To enter, follow this link: http://on.fb.me/GreatMomentsInGuyTime

So if you have a photo/video of a great tailgating moment, showing your team pride at the stadium, or just celebrating great times with your buddies, enter now for a chance to win a year’s supply of groceries. Nine others will win Ball Park grilling packages, complete with a grill and plenty of Ball Park products to keep your summer sizzling.

Gabbert throws a pass in 2011

We were all under the impression that even though Blaine Gabbert had a very poor rookie season, and the team signed a new quarterback in Chad Henne, that it was still his job to lose. Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey confirmed that recently during an interview with NFL Networks Albert Breer.

“No, it’s not (a competition). Blaine’s our starting quarterback,” Mularkey said, “I give him credit for handling the negativity — I haven’t seen it affect him. It’d be easy to go into a shell, worry about perception. He has a lot of confidence and he doesn’t let outside sources influence that. That’s hard to do in this business, especially now with all this Facebook and Twitter. There’s so much more pressure on him, but he’s been good. I’m a big body-language reader, and on the practice field, the cafeteria, in the meetings, he has a confidence about him. We feel good about him.”

That is as good a vote of confidence as you can get from a head coach, and Mularkey is hoping that his confidence and tutelage in Gabbert will translate to improvement on the field. The Jaguars have armed him with a plethora of talents, in Justin Blackmon, Laurent Robinson and Lee Evans, so they will expect to see significant improvement in his second year, and apparently that improvement is already noticable.

“I’ve seen improvement over the short time I’ve been with him, and (in the spring) you get coaching and teaching in a less stressful environment,” Mularkey said. “We’re working on some of the fundamentals in his drops now. Not saying that he was taught it wrong, but every coach has their beliefs. None of them are wrong, but we need to be on the same page on some of those things, and we already started working on that in April. Primarily, it’s his drops and balance in the pocket.”

He may be on a short leash but, for now at least, Gabbert is the Jaguars starting quarterback.

Jones-Drew running with the ball

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew wasn’t present at the Jaguars first mini camp and reports are surfacing that neither will he be at the Jaguars OTA’s which start tomorrow.

Mark Long of the Associated Press tweeted “No real surprise, but all indications are Jaguars RB @jones_drew32 will not be at OTAs that begin tomorrow.”

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise due to their being no change indicated by Jones-Drew. The exact reason for his absence is unknown, however, it is reportedly due to a contract dispute over his current deal that is set to pay him $4.45 million this season.

This all could be a fuss over nothing and Jones-Drew is just opting to work out with his own people in California. More will become clear when the Jaguars open their mandatory mini camp later in the off-season.

New Jaguars QB Jordan Palmer at last weekends mini camp

The Jaguars invited 27 players to try out at their rookie mini camp. Of those 27 the team announced Monday that it has signed seven, including quarterback Jordan Palmer, brother of Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer.

Palmer could have a legitimate chance to make the team as the 3rd QB, behind Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne. Palmer spent three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals backing up his brother before being released prior to the season last year and spending the majority of the season out of the league.

In total, the Jaguars signed three veterans, QB Jordan Palmer, FB Naufahu Tahi and DT Odrick Ray, and four rookies WR Mike Brown, WR Chris Forcier, LB Donovan Richard and DB Jeremiah Brown.

The team also released QB Dan LeFavour, WR Jarrett Dillard, S Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, WR Nelson Rosario, WR Jarrett Boykin and DE Frank Trotter.

These roster moves put the team at the NFL limit of 90 players.

Blackmon runs a route at Jaguars mini camp

The Jaguars wrapped up their rookie mini camp today. Head Coach Mike Mularkey was particularly impressed with how the mix of players functioned together- the camp featured 6 drafted players, 17 undrafted free agents and 27 workout invitees.

“It was outstanding how they came in here prepared and did everything we asked them to do, and did it right. They did everything. Usually, that’s not the case when you bring in 50 brand news guys.” Mularkey said.

Mularkey also said that all 6 of the players the Jaguars drafted stood out at times. “I certainly could tell why we have them in here and why we drafted them,” he said.

The one concern from the camp was that the team held first round draft pick Justin Blackmon out of the final day of practice on sunday due to soreness in his right foot. Mularkey called the move precautionary and they don’t expect the injury to be anything significant.

“We got a good chance to install and be around him, and him be around us,” Mularkey said, “We just thought it would be smart on our part and on his part if we held him out of the drills and had him ready when OTAs start here in about eight days.”

Coleman played in all 16 games last season and saw action in nearly 50 percent of the defensive snaps as a nickel cornerback. But with Rashean Mathis and Will Middleton returning from injuries and Aaron Ross signing as a free agent, the team no longer saw a role for Coleman. He played sparingly on special teams, and the Jaguars didn’t think he could line up anywhere except the slot.

Coleman also was due to make a little more than $1.5 million in 2012.

Coleman spent the previous five seasons with the New York Jets. He signed a three-year deal worth up to $7.4 million with the Jaguars last July.

You can see the full list of players on the official Jaguars website by clicking here.

Pendleton Playing at Joliet Junior College

Jaguars GM Gene Smith notoriously says that he scouts the player, not the school and he stuck true to that with his final pick in the draft. The Jaguars selected Ashland University DT Jeris Pendleton with their seventh round pick.

Pendleton is an intriguing late round selection by the Jaguars, a high school standout, who committed to Michigan State, but did not attend to to family issues, was out of football for six years before walking on at Joliet Junior College, following which he earned a scholarship to Ashland University in Ohio, and was drafted by the Jaguars at 28 years old.

In 2011, Pendleton had 49 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks. By his own admission he is a run stuffer, “I believe I can hold down the run,” Pendleton said. “I believe I can hold my ground in there at tackle. I won’t be getting pushed around. That’s my strength right there, being solid against the run.”

The Jaguars expect that Pendleton has the physical talent to be able to contribute in the rotation right away. “When you look at guys form smaller colleges, you look for guys with rare genetics who show dominant traits,” GM Gene Smith said, “Certainly, they’re the type of people who have Jaguars traits – they’re going to work to improve. Jeris has all of those things.”

Pendleton also seems up for the task of being in the Jaguars rotation. “The (Jaguars front office) told me I’ve got a chance to be in their rotation,” Pendleton said. “They expect me to challenge for some serious playing time. One of their defensive tackles (Tyson Alualu) had knee surgery and another (Terrance Knighton) had eye surgery.”