Pistol Power- The Coaching Career of Zarek Stryker

[edward_1385]

good read so far, can't wait to read more... I will be following...

Btw, I have done a Titans one and had a blast with them, pretty good team u have so far... But Vince Young will be sporadic all year for u, Kerry Collins was the one I went with and he seemed to do pretty decent for me...

Also, with Ray Rice and Lendale White in the backfield maybe a few power runs up the gut can help out the offense, until they learn ur new playbook...

Good luck, maybe u can do better than I did with them the first year, I finshed 5-11 and had 4 close games that I should have won...

[Aurabolt127]

Good luck!! Be interested to see how it goes through the year.

[Shamhat1915]

Just want to let everyone know: this is not dead. With the holidays and my move, I haven't had time to update like I would have liked. And now, my computer is in the shop getting repaired. Thankfully I have backed up my data, and will be able to post as soon as I get it back, which should be soon.

Anyway, with that said, I would like to thank those of you reading/following this story. I agree that Vince Young can be sporadic, as you will see when I post up the results of my first game. This has been an interesting year so far for Stryker's Titans.

[edward_1385]

That's good can't wait to see the results from ur 1st game...

[JDStang]

Very good read keep it up!!!!

[Shamhat1915]

Sorry for the delay in this coaching career everyone. Besides not having a computer, I've been busy with work and several other games, including College Hoops 2K8, NBA 2K13, and Dark Souls. However, I have good new. My computer is back! That means that after I get it set up, I can transfer the data off my flashdrive to my pc, and get back to posting up the career of Zarek Stryker. This is not dead! And it is returning, very shortly.

[Shamhat1915]

Tennesse Starts Strong
Stryker's Titans Pull Out Victory In Final Seconds

NASHVILLE, TN: With five seconds to go in the game and down 20-21, Stryker called on kicker Rob Bironas to boot a 57-yard field goal and steal a victory from Jacksonville. Bironas was 2-4 on the day, hitting field goals from 50 and 47 yards out, but missing both attempts that were beyond the 50.

"I knew Rob had the leg, it was just a matter of his confidence. But with the game on the line, he nailed the kick between the uprights." Stryker said after the game.

The Titans and Jaguars played a strong game to start the season and kick off divisional play. In the first half, it was all Jacksonville as Strykers Titans had trouble figuring out the Jaguars. On the first drive, Titans quarterback Vince Young threw an interception to cornerback Rashean Mathis, who returned it 81-yards for a pick-six.

Garrard led the Jaguars down the field before hitting a wide open Reggie Williams for a 48-yard touchdown. Josh Scobee's two field goal attempts in the first half both sailed wide left, the only cause for concern for the Jaguars.

After a second pick by Vince Young, Stryker called on the veteran Kerry Collins to take over the two-minute drill, hoping to get something going. He managed to inject some hope into the team, but the drive stalled and Bironas kicked his first 50-yard field goal to put the Titans on the board.

Whatever Stryker said at halftime, whatever changes he made, did the trick as the Titans came out hot to start the second half. Collins moved the team efficiently down the field before hitting a wide open Ray Rice on a wheel route for an 18-yard touchdown. Neither team would get anything going for a while with both kickers missing field goals, keeping the game at 14-10.

With five minutes to go in the 4th quarter, both teams stepped up their game. The Jags picked off Collins for a second time in the game, prompting Stryker to once again make a QB change, putting Young back in. On his first play, Vince dropped back to pass. Seeing no one open, he took off juking one defender and spinning off another before running all the way for a 70-yard touchdown. The Titans took their first lead of the game 17-14. Jacksonville went three-and-out on their next possession, and Tennessee put up another field goal to increase their lead 20-14.

With only two minutes to go, David Garrard led the Jaguars quickly down the field for a score, putting the Jags back on top 21-20 with only :43 seconds to go. The Titans would need a miracle, and they got one on the arm and legs of Vince Young. Starting from their own 20, Young made sure the team wouldn't lose, completing back-to-back passes tight end Desmond Clarck, then a completion to wide reciever Desean Jackson to put Tennessee on the Jaguars 40-yard line with :05 seconds to go. And we know what happened then.

Vince Young: 5-11 for 72 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. 5 rushes for 111 yards and 1 touchdown.
Kerry Collins: 11-20 for 132 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions
Ray Rice: 12 carries for 14 yards. 1 catch for 18 yards and 1 touchdown
Desmond Clark: 6 catches for 81 yards
Desean Jackson: 5 catches for 36 yards
Brad Jones: 4 catches for 69 yards

Chris Hope: 8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Courtland Finnegan: 3 tackles, 1 interception, thrown at 7 times, 0 catches allowed
Kyle Vanden Bosch: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks

[Shamhat1915]

Post-Game Interview

"It's great when you can get a win, even better when that win comes against a divisional rival. Every game counts, but if you can't win in your own division, you can't make it to the playoffs. It's that simple. We put together a team effort, and this team persevered through a hard fought match."

Q: Coach, you switched between your two quarterbacks in the game, giving both playing time. Who is your starter next week?
A: It's all going to depend on how they perform in practice. This team is Vince's, but he has to step it up. He showed great promise, showed his athleticism and skill at the end of the game, but he needs to show that during the whole game.

Q: Your running game didn't get going in this game, besides the long run by Young. How do you plan on getting it going next week?
A: We're just going to keep pushing it. Rice had trouble finding holes, and we just need to keep the holes open longer. He'll get better with time as he acclimates to this system, so don't expect something like this again.

Q: Coach, what do you need to work on next week?
A: Every team has weaknesses, and we are no different. Obviously our turnovers really killed us, and our backs had trouble covering their recievers.

Q: Your defense really stiffled the Jaguars last night with four takeaways and thirteen tackles for a loss. How do you explain that?
A: The credit for that goes to Jim (Schwartz). We worked up a gameplan to put pressure on Jacksonville and stop Maurice Jones-Drew, and he had his unit prepared for that. We limited their running game, which was our gameplan going in.

Q: Next week you go into Cincinnati to play the Bengals. How do you plan on gameplanning for them?
A: Cincinatti will be a tough test for my players. They have a lot of good players, and can beat you in many ways. There are many players they can throw to, and Palmer is an excellent quarterback. Their defense is stout, and can take over a game as well.

Q: Who do you need to step up next week to have a chance at winning?
A: Rice will definitely need to step up his game. If we can't keep the Bengals offense off the field, they will consistently put up points on you. With that in mind, we will also need Hope to keep up his stellar play. He was all over the field on Sunday, and will need to have the same type of game to keep Cincinnati in line.

*Chris Hope won Defensive Player of the Week in the AFC and the NFL with his stellar game against Jacksonville.