Per the Florida Times-Union, Knighton injured his eye “at or near” a local area nightclub early Sunday morning, and underwent what appears to be emergency surgery to repair whatever damage had been done.

The team is aware of the incident, releasing a statement on their official Twitter account.

Statement from Jaguars: Terrance Knighton was involved in an incident early Sunday morning in which he sustained an eye injury…

— jaguarsinsider (@jaguarsinsider) April 8, 2012

He has undergone surgery at Baptist Medical Center and is recovering. We are in the process of gathering information about what happened…

— jaguarsinsider (@jaguarsinsider) April 8, 2012

… and are not able to further comment at this time. Our concern and our focus is on Terrance and his health and recovery (end).

— jaguarsinsider (@jaguarsinsider) April 8, 2012

The severity of Knighton’s injury has not been disclosed, though he seems to be in stable condition.

It’s a tough blow for the 25-year-old, who’s entering the final year of his contract and is aiming to secure a big payday from the Jags. Over the last three seasons, Knighton has started all but three games for the team, recording 75 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

Thomas told the Florida Times-Union that the prior coaching staff may be at fault for the poor production, as Jacksonville’s receiving corps “might not have been pushed hard enough” last season.

More specifically, Thomas is criticizing former receivers coach Johnny Cox, who, after two years as the offensive quality control coach, took over for Todd Monken after he bolted to become Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator.

The transition from Monken to Cox was an uneasy one for the Jags’ wideouts, and the difference in coaching styles was more than apparent.

“There was a difference,’’ Thomas said. “I think everybody can see and feel that, so that’s why we are here where we are today.”

Fortunately for Thomas and his peers, Cox was let go when new head coach Mike Mularkey brought in his own staff. Mularkey coaxed Jerry Sullivan out of retirement to head the position.

Sullivan is a no-nonsense, “technician guy,” who says he will “make guys better than they think they are.” In a lot of ways, he’s cut from the same cloth as Monken, which is music to Thomas’ ears.

“I have heard enough about him to know what he’s about. I’m ready for it in a good sense. I’m open to it. I know he’s going to be coaching me as hard as he can. It will be good. I need that because I have a lot of room to grow. Hopefully, it turns out for the better. I’m going into it with an open mind and expect him to push me and make me the great player that I want to be,” Thomas said.

Let’s see if the change in coaching style translates to an improvement in the stat books.

It’s only getting started (but, as a consolation, should soon be over.)

Per FOXSports.com (via Orlando’s WKMG-TV), it has come down to two for Tim Tebow, who’s quickly being ushered out of Denver with the arrival of you-know-who.

According to the report, which cited a “close” source, Tebow will be traded to either the New York Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday.

The Dolphins and, of all teams, the Packers were also involved in trade talks, which eventually came down to just New York and Jacksonville.

Tebow is expected to net the Broncos a third-round pick, but I wouldn’t be stunned to see a deal involving a conditional fourth-round selection that, if certain conditions are met, would turn into a third.

He’s said to prefer playing time over heading home to Jacksonville to play with the Jags, but there are multiple reasons why either club would be interested in the quarterback.

For the Jets, whom reportedly “intensified” talks with Tebow’s camp, they view him as a God-send (pardon the pun here) for new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, who’s expected to bring with him the Wildcat offense. A team source also confirmed Tuesday that Tebow is viewed as a good option to help heal the locker room — and city, similar to what Knicks baller Jeremy Lin has done in the Big Apple.

That may be the biggest reason of all why Gang Green pulls the trigger.

Why Jacksonville? Well, obviously, the hometown connection is there, so they have that going for them. That aside, new (and already outspoken) owner Shahid Khan is said to be deep into negotiations with the Broncos’ brass, and more importantly, has vowed time and time again to put the Jags back on the map.

That’s easy to say for a man who’s worth an estimated $2.5 billion. However, he prefers to be diligent with his finances, unlike a few certain checkbook-friendly clubs he knows of.

In a live fan chat carried out by The Florida Times-Union, Khan noted that spending money every which way doesn’t translate into a championship, using the Redskins and Cowboys as two examples of the failed method.

“If there was a relationship between money spent and results on the field, probably the Redskins and the Cowboys would have won a bunch of Super Bowls by now,” Khan said. “That’s what makes football so interesting.”

Khan is one to talk, and will have plenty to work with as the Jags are among the leaders with more than $45.5 million in cap space.

The team has holes all over the roster, and are reportedly targeting receivers this offseason, making them a major player for Vincent Jackson.

No matter his approach, the 61-year-old businessman promises to spend responsibly when the free agent market opens Tuesday afternoon.

“(Jaguars general manager) Gene (Smith) and his staff, we reviewed it yesterday,” Khan said. “We want to look at the complete picture. Not only use the resources but using (them) wisely.”

[Story/quotes: NFL.com]

Per Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union, the Jaguars hired Mike Mularkey to be the team’s next head coach.

Mularkey, who spent the last four seasons as the Falcons’ offensive playcaller, was widely regarded as the top candidate for the job since the regular season concluded.

What’s odd is that he didn’t even formally interview until today, so he evidently wowed owner Shahid Khan and Jacksonville’s brass into quickly making it official. Impressive considering Atlanta just came off an embarrassing Wild Card round loss, failing to put up a single offensive point against the Giants.

This will be the second head coaching stint for Mularkey, who held the position with the Bills in 2004.

With the Falcons, Mularkey was praised for developing Matt Ryan into a very solid — perhaps even borderline elite — quarterback, while overseeing an offense that consistently ranked near the top in scoring.

In Jacksonville, however, he’ll have his hands full with Blaine Gabbert, arguably the worst starting signal-caller in the NFL, along with a unit that lacks talent in nearly every area.

On the other side of the ball, the Jags are hoping to retain Mel Tucker, who took over as interim coach when Del Rio was fired, as defensive coordinator. Tucker is a bit of a hot commodity, having recently been linked to several coordinator vacancies, including in Minnesota, where he has an interview scheduled for Tuesday night.

Although the team’s new ownership has already been determined, the same can’t be said for its head coach.

Defensive coordinator-turned-interim coach Mel Tucker will oversee the final game, but the Jags are expected to be in the market for a notable hire to do what Jack Del Rio couldn’t — resurrect an otherwise dormant franchise.

Former Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor knows just the guy for the job.

Earlier this week, Taylor told the Florida Times-Union that Jacksonville needs to target a big-name coach this offseason; preferably one with a winning background, like former longtime Titans head man Jeff Fisher.

“His track record speaks for itself,” Taylor said. “You start talking about Bill Cowher and those guys they’re pretty content behind the broadcast, the analyst’s desk or whatever.”

Taylor, who’s arguably the greatest player in team history, is well-versed on Fisher, having played against him many a time during his 11 seasons with the Jags. He thinks it’d be a good fit for Fish, who’d likely be inclined to stick it to Tennessee twice a year.

“He’s going to be super motivated to go and kick Tennessee’s ***** each time they play,” Taylor said. “He’s a good coach. I think they throw out the whole rivalry thing and look at the standpoint of this guy’s been successful. It’s only twice a year he has to play his old team.”

Taylor may be on to something here; could the Jags have been one of the two teams that supposedly contacted Fisher last month? If it happened, it’d certainly make an otherwise nondescript “rivalry” between the Jaguars and Titans that much more compelling.

While the list varies across the NFL coaching spectrum, one of Wayne Weaver‘s final acts as owner — before selling the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan — will be to conduct an “extensive search” to find Del Rio’s successor, NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports.

One of the more experienced candidates speculated to be in the running for the gig was NFL Network’s own Brian Billick, former coach of the Ravens from 1999 through 2008.

It does makes sense, after all. Billick is a championship coach with a distinguished pedigree, one that could potentially turn around the Jags’ franchise after many years of ineptitude.

A perfect fit, right? It would be, except for one minor detail: he already withdrew his hat from the ring.

Appearing on NFL Network, Billick threw cold water on the idea of him roaming the sidelines in Jacksonville, saying his qualifications don’t match what the franchise is seeking.

“They’re looking for young and cheap, and I’m neither,” Billick said.

He didn’t say it outright, but it seems Billick is very much content with his role as a studio analyst — a spectator free of the pressure that goes along with coaching.

“Look, I’m relaxed, my cardiologist says I’m doing great, life’s good,” he joked.

Assuming Billick’s name can safely be removed from the mix, La Canfora mentioned a few others that could be in the running, including Mel Tucker, the team’s defensive coordinator turned interim coach, former Falcons and Seahawks coach Jim Mora, and current Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

Following the Jags’ loss to the Texans on Sunday, Del Rio announced that Blaine Gabbert will remain the team’s starting quarterback, despite being benched in favor of Luke McCown, the Sporting News reports.

“Blaine’s our starting quarterback until I tell you otherwise,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio told reporters following Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Texans.

During the fourth quarter against Houston, Del Rio yanked Gabbert, who had completed 13-of-29 passes for 136 yards and an interception up to that point.

The ninth-year head man for Jacksonville defended his decision to make the switch, but acknowledged it just wasn’t enough as his struggling squad fell to 3-8 on the year.

“We’re just not able to generate enough offense to put ourselves in position to win the game,” Del Rio said. “In an effort to find that spark, I made the switch obviously in the fourth quarter and put Luke in. Luke gave us a little life there at the end. It was nice to see.

“It’s tough to win in this league when you are not scoring. We fight, we give great effort, we’re working hard at it. We’re just not making enough plays.”

McCown entered, basically in garbage duty, throwing for 62 yards on eleven attempts. His pocket presence was a tad better than that of Gabbert, who displayed happy feet and looked intimidated by the defenders around him.

On the other hand, Gabbert’s teammates did little to help him out, dropping some very catchable passes, including a would-be touchdown late in the contest.

The Jaguars organization invested heavily in Gabbert, trading up in the draft to select the former Missouri Tiger. They’ll have the rest of the season to determine whether or not he can be the future at the position.

Otherwise, should he continue to fizzle, it could spell the end of Del Rio — who is already hanging on by a thread — and possibly even general manager Gene Smith.

According to the Associated Press, Jags head coach Jack Del Rio on Wednesday anointed Blaine Gabbert as the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 3 matchup against the Panthers.

Del Rio made the switch after witnessing a horrific game by Luke McCown, who threw four interceptions and finished with a 1.8 passer rating in a blowout loss to the Jets.

Gabbert, the draft’s No. 10 overall pick, entered the game in mop up duty, finishing 5 of 6 for 52 yards. During the preseason, when he received extending playing time, Gabbert completed 35 of 70 passes for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Despite getting the nod, Gabbert won’t have much to work on offense, and will likely spend much of the afternoon handing the ball off to running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

As Jacksonville’s hopeful franchise option, Gabbert was going to eventually get his shot, though it’s come earlier than expected due to McCown’s ineptness under center. Considering their lack of an alternative, Gabbert is likely to remain the Jags’ starter going forward — even if he falls flat on his face, as most first-year players do.

Jags receiver Jason Hill told the Florida Times-Union that Gang Green corner Darrelle Revis is “overhyped”, based solely on the fact that he plays in the country’s biggest market.

“Same one that everyone else gives us,” Hill said. “This is a league full of great players. I think sometimes they get overhyped. I talked to Drew [Coleman], Drew played there. He says it’s just the aura of New York. They got a big media. That’s not the Jacksonville paper, that’s the big New York Times paper so they get more pub. That’s what it is.”

Though Hill guarded himself by calling Revis a “good player” — an understatement, to say the least — he claims Revis is more nationally recognized because “he just made a lot more plays on TV than we’ve made being here in Jacksonville.”

“I think the whole New York is overhyped,” Hill said. “Him personally, he’s a good player, Pro Bowl player, I’m trying to make it to the Pro Bowl, too. This’ll be a good game to put some notches on our belts too. It’s the New York Times vs. the Jacksonville paper. New York Times they got a lot more viewers than you got.

If you don’t know who Jason Hill is, well, I don’t blame you. He was the 49ers’ third-round pick in 2007 and signed with Jacksonville in 2010. In six seasons, he’s recorded just 55 receptions, and has missed the last two days of practice with a hip injury.

His resume doesn’t exactly give him a ton of room to talk about any other player — especially of Revis’ caliber — but that’s what happens when a team are nine-point underdogs heading into their matchup and could use the spark.

This situation brings back shades of 2007, when Steelers safety Anthony Smith, another relatively unknown player, guaranteed his team would beat the Patriots in the week leading up to the contest. The end result? New England won in a laugher, 34-13, and made Smith look silly on multiple instances.

Now I’m not saying the Jets are what the Pats were that year — a juggernaut — nor am I discrediting Hill’s ability. But, assuming he suits up for this game, he may suffer the same fate as Smith while he’s stranded alone on Revis Island.