Helmet Stickers: Oakland Raiders 14-19 New York Jets, Week One

I love the start of a new season. So much anticipation, so much excitement and after an opening win, so much expectation. I've been writing about the Jets now for well over 5 years, and fortunately John and SB Nation have been kind enough to put up with a Brit for all that time. However I never get bored of the opening weekend, especially when it's a home game. My twitter feed is full of questions and comments from people I've never met, who can't wait to talk football. Then the instagram pictures start flooding in from the tailgate, and although that twinge of jealousy is always there because I can't be there, I absolutely love receiving them because it makes you feel part of the occasion.

However being at home watching the game on television, allows me to see the whole field and pause and rewind at will. Watching plays one after the other and then making sure I go back to the plays I wasn't sure about. It's a good alternative.

So we are off and running and although it wasn't pretty, we got the 'W' and for opening day, that's really all I'm looking for. At time we moves the ball nicely and at times we looked dangerous through the air, which is something I really wanted to see. Our run defense was spectacular and out pass defense was solid, if untested. Our second year QB made some mistakes but he made some excellent plays as well. Chris Johnson looked good and the offensive line on the whole performed well. I think John did a superb job in the game recap, so if you haven't read that yet, do so by clicking HERE

It wasn't all plain sailing however, we had some sloppy turnovers and the 11 penalties called against us where around 10 too many. However it's week one, there is bound to be some rust and I'm confident that this coaching staff will clean up a lot of the issues ahead of the game against the Green Bay Packers. However a win is a win and we deserve the celebration time before we dive head first into the preview for this weekend.

So without further delay, I give you my three stars for this week. As always, please feel free to disagree and give me your stars in the comments below and we'll keep this running throughout the season to ensure we name our GGN Jets Player of the Year at the end of the season. Hell I may even get a trophy done and send it over to 1 Jets Drive!

Just as a note, I really wanted to put Wilkerson in here for his activity at the line batting passes down and the fact we allowed a grand total of 25 rushing yards, however I just couldn't fit him in this week and I thought the entire defense needed a hat tip for that 25 yard performance, so notable mention goes to the entire defense and the entire offensive line.

Third Star: Chris Johnson, 13 rushes, 68 yards. 5 receptions, 23 yards and 1 touchdown

Has Johnson still got something left in the tank? Absolutely. Is he the Chris Johnson we saw for so many years in Tennessee? probably not. He isn't going to make people look as foolish as he used to, but he still has some wiggle and if he can get going, he can really outrun a lot of people. We need to create holes for him, but when we do he'll exploit them. He made some really nice cuts yesterday and having a reliable receiver out of the backfield really makes a difference for this Jets team. He handled the TD pass really well, was in on the gadget play for Vick that should have resulted in a touchdown and just looked solid throughout. I was really impressed with what he was able to do and if he carries on like that, he'll be absolutely fine. Marty's play calling for him was pretty perfect as well, and at times he picked up some really important yardage for fun. Congratulations on getting into the list in your very first game with the Jets.

Second Star: Antonio Allen, 5 tackles, 26 yards allowed, 0 touchdowns allowed

Oakland started a rookie quarterback with a suspect offensive line that hasn't had time to gel and Allen did allow 4 completions on 6 passes thrown his way. So lets not anoint him the next Revis any time soon. However this is the NFL and playing corner at this level is one of the toughest positions in football, especially now you can't touch the opposition. He wasn't challenged deep all that often but when he was, his coverage looked decent. He was challenged in the open field however, the Raiders seemed to like throwing underneath into his coverage. Now this means it's not surprising he allowed four completions but when you challenge a converted safety, who's main strength is tackling in the open field, to tackle well, in the open field, that's not a good game plan. Antonio was outstanding in the open field and I can't remember a receiver getting more than a yard after he caught the ball in Allen's coverage. Lets not forget that this was a move of necessity, and he has had a crash course in playing corner. Starting his first game at a new position and holding opponents to 26 yards, take a bow Allen, take a bow.

First Star: Chris Ivory, 10 rushes, 102 yards and 1 touchdown.

First of all, Chris! make sure you're a little closer than the 30 yard line when you start celebrating the touchdown. I love the confidence brother but lets make sure we put the TD on the board before saluting the family in the stands. Saying that, the TD proved to be the winning score and although the blockers did a great job he showed three very vital aspects to a good running back, patience, agility and speed. I didn't realise he was as fast as he is, when he got into the open field, his legs were churning and just swallowing yardage. He looks fits and healthy and I think sharing carries with CJ will bring out the best in both of them. He ran hard, he punished anyone wanting to tackle him, he can concentrate on rushing and leave the receiving to CJ. I just thought Ivory looked really good, grounding out the tough yardage, then breaking one at a time where we were allowing the Raiders to stay in the game. I'm giving him my first star, and I can't imagine that will be the last this year either.

So there we have it, my stars to start off the season and the table below shows the total so far, which is obviously just restricted to this game:

First Star: 10 points

Second Star: 5 Points

Third Star: 2 Points