Ranking the NFL/Nike Uniform changes

[nuordr]

I have a survey for this question if anyone would like to take it. 

 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2xGXKDKPah-yao5mvut4QxAOKHdfcvXUYREfYtNkLGYhP5w/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

With 40 responses, the grades so far are:

 

Grade B:

• 2018 Dolphins
• 2017 Lions
• 2012 Seahawks
• 2018 Jaguars
• 2013 Vikings

Grade C

• 2017 Rams
• 2013 Dolphins

Grade D

• 2019 Jets

Grade F

• 2014 Buccaneers
• 2013 Jaguars
• 2015 Browns
• 2018 Titans

 

[oldschoolvikings]

2 hours ago, RealSkillsAbraham said:

Chargers a B+ switching to the powder blue jersey

 

Not a uniform designed during the Nike era... I don't think they can get credit or blame for a primary to secondary switch.

[oldschoolvikings]

1 hour ago, nuordr said:

I have a survey for this question if anyone would like to take it. 

 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2xGXKDKPah-yao5mvut4QxAOKHdfcvXUYREfYtNkLGYhP5w/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

With 40 responses, the grades so far are:

 

Grade B:

• 2018 Dolphins
• 2017 Lions
• 2012 Seahawks
• 2018 Jaguars
• 2013 Vikings

Grade C

• 2017 Rams
• 2013 Dolphins

Grade D

• 2019 Jets

Grade F

• 2014 Buccaneers
• 2013 Jaguars
• 2015 Browns
• 2018 Titans

 

 

How are the Rams part of this question?

[nuordr]

1 minute ago, oldschoolvikings said:

 

How are the Rams part of this question?

They changed to the white helmet and white pants, so a few of my friends suggested we add them to the survey. 

[63Bulldogs63]

1 minute ago, nuordr said:

They changed to the white helmet and white pants, so a few of my friends suggested we add them to the survey. 

 

I wouldn't constitute that as a change by Nike seeing as all the elements were designed and established long before the Nike takeover. 

[nuordr]

Just now, 63Bulldogs63 said:

 

I wouldn't constitute that as a change by Nike seeing as all the elements were designed and established long before the Nike takeover. 

Maybe not, but that is the way we included it in the survey. Not one person that took the survey questioned why they were in there. So I am fine leaving them as is. 

[Green27]

I don't love the Seahawks, but you can't tell me that their rebrand didn't change league design dramatically. They took a lot of chances and most have paid off. 

[oldschoolvikings]

2 hours ago, Green27 said:

I don't love the Seahawks, but you can't tell me that their rebrand didn't change league design dramatically. They took a lot of chances and most have paid off. 

 

In what way, specifically, do you think it changed the league's designs?  And when you say it paid off, in what way?

[MCM0313]

Vikings - A: coming from the hot mess that was their prior look, this has to be one of the biggest upgrades in NFL history. I'm not 100% sold on the satin finish of their helmets, but the previous glossy finish wasn't always as good as it should've been either, and satin beats the heck out of matte anyway. The black facemasks are the only definite negative in my book.

 

Dolphins color upgrade - A: they shouldn't have dulled down the colors in 2013 to begin with...

 

Jets - B+: they missed the chance to have a more distinctive helmet logo, and I'm afraid they'll overuse the black pants and wear leotards all the time. I have no major issue with the city name on the front of the jersey (remember, Nike once put the team name down the side of Cleveland's pants). Striped socks - white with green and black - could've worked, as others have mentioned. And I wish the sleeve stripes wrapped around to the back. All those things said, I like these better than the ones they're replacing. Brightening up that green helps tremendously and, like Paul Lukas, I have a strange desire to lick their helmets, because I'm pretty sure they're all lime suckers.

 

Seahawks - B: they're weird and a little obnoxious. They're Nike to the max. The team has made them work, though. With any other team I'd be complaining about constant monotone looks at home and not having contrasting socks, but these guys own their style. I do wish they'd get rid of white pants completely and emphasize the grey (not just the pants but the color in general) a bit more, but for the most part their uniforms never offended me even when they were new, and I've grown to appreciate them over time.

 

Lions - B: a little nondescript. I feel like they phased out white a bit too much. The helmet feels weird without the white center stripe. I do like that they got rid of black but they should've replaced it with white in the role of increasing contrast between blue and grey. I like that they brought in blue pants and I'm glad that they haven't made a habit of frequently wearing them with the blue jerseys. Very solid look overall; it's modern without spitting on the team's traditions.

 

Jags 2.0 - C+: burying that stupid two-tone helmet was an automatic upgrade. Making the replacement glossy was also a great move. Simple striping would really make their current look better, though. The relative lack of contrast colors makes the set feel incomplete. I was okay with their previous set from the neck down. This one isn't bad, it's just...meh.

 

Dolphins 1.0 - C : the logo change was a definite downgrade. I still want the dolphin to have a face and possibly a helmet too. Their bizarre decision to fade Miami's famously brilliant color scheme was...not good, but at least they eventually corrected that part of it. The uniform design isn't  bad, though. It definitely looks way more modern than the very '90s-looking set it replaced. If you've seen the helmet up close you can really appreciate it, too. You wouldn't think metal flakes in white paint would be that good, but they are.

 

Titans - C : if we're talking only about the changes I'd give them a C- or even D+. I really appreciated how much they used the light blue last year, though. They frequently paired light blue pants with both navy and white jerseys, rather than go overboard with monochrome. I also like the navy blue helmet in theory...but in a division with the Texans, it's almost like they're envying the success the newer franchise has had in their old location. The sword shoulders are goofy but I don't find them as offensive as some do. I wish they hadn't gone with two shades of grey though. Not a great look to be emphasizing grey so much when you've got all those other colors. I do like the sword-stripe on the helmet though.

 

Jags 1.0 - D+: if we were talking only jerseys and pants I'd give them a B- or C+. If we were talking only helmet I'd give them an F. My goodness, that thing was atrocious.

 

Buccaneers - D : I like the bigger helmet logo and the chrome facemasks. I don't think the switch to a brighter red was needed, but it isn't bad. I don't hate the jersey design as much as when it first came out, but it's still busier than necessary. The orange feels a bit forced while on the old ones it was very natural in lending a fiery glow to the pant stripes. Ultimately, though, this set commits two true atrocities: alarm-clock numbers, and (IMO even worse) matte pewter fabrics. 

 

Browns - F: the worst Nike redesign ever. Show me a college change that is a bigger downgrade than this one. The team name is written in lieu of the bottom half of the pant stripe. The orange numbers on the brown jerseys need full shadows to be legible, so of course they just use tiny drop shadows. The new shades of orange and brown provide less contrast than the old. The only thing that isn't incredibly irritating is the slightly duller finish to the helmet, and that actually seems like a terrible idea, but it works somewhat. With their old, lighter orange, though, I don't think it would - which means the only positive is a direct result of the color scheme getting worse. Yech.

 

[nuordr]

Thanks for everyone who brought the survey total from 40 to 84 responses. The results are below: 

 

 

 

 

[_DietDrPepper_]

Few things I noticed:

 

-The Jets are the most diverse

-Jags (2013-17), Bucs and Browns all combined for 0 A’s

-The Vikings seemed like the only one that was clearly an A or B (above 75% saying a or b)

-The Lions and Current Dolphins have almost identical stats

 

@nuordr thanks for doing the survey! You definitely got some interesting results, some which were predictable, others like the Seahawks, which were much worse than I thought, or the new jags which I thought would’ve been worse.

[hugevolsfan]

First thing I noticed was the Dolphins 13-17 change the biggest grade was orange or C which is coincidental that lacking orange was the main complaint I heard about that uniform.

[daniel75]

Bucs

Lions 

Seahawks

Vikings

Dolphins

Titans

Jags

Browns

 

[Green27]

On 4/19/2019 at 2:01 PM, oldschoolvikings said:

 

In what way, specifically, do you think it changed the league's designs?  And when you say it paid off, in what way?

I think it made teams realize they could go off the beaten path and dramatically change their identity in more detailed/creative ways than just plopping logos and colors onto the newest template. I say it paid off because people for the most part love the unique Native pattern on the pants, the grey/neon green alts, and the overall bold branding. Projects like the Titans and Bucs wouldn't have been so drastically different without the Seahawks pushing the creativity to the next level. You can argue your personal preference on each of these as being good or bad looking, but ultimately my point was that they were the first team of the Nike era to work with Nike to push their identity to a clearly unique era rather than just retooling their previous look. 

[OnWis97]

On 4/19/2019 at 8:48 AM, oldschoolvikings said:

 

How are the Rams part of this question?

And how are the not an F?