MCM0313

That makes sense. “Cunning” is a pretty positive description, but I could see someone not wanting to be called “Dickers”.

That works waaaaay better than the Rams’ use of it. If you’re going to use cream, I think you need a dark color with it. Maroon/crimson is my favorite partner for off-white, but purple, navy blue, forest green, brown, burnt orange, and even black can work.

Of course this is all brought to us by Aquafresh!

I had Madden 95 for Game Gear. Never quite got through a season - it turned off when the car turned off. Still fun memories.

Bernie was “QB BROWNS” in Tecmo Super Bowl. That was still an incredible game for its time though. Unlike the earlier Tecmo Bowl, it had all (at the time) 28 teams, with official names and helmet logos. It also had real players and more or less accurate rosters, plus a season mode. And thanks to cleverly designed alternate uniforms, you could always tell the teams apart. Plus it was 11 on 11, and you could sub and shuffle the guys who handled the ball on offense. It was also nicely fast-paced. Now let’s look at the NES competition. Tecmo Bowl had 12 teams, real players, no team names, no subs, and fewer players on each side than in real life. NES Play Action Football had eight teams with real players, had subs, was eleven on eleven, and even had a tournament mode…but gameplay was painfully slow, there were no team names, and uniforms were pretty generic. NFL Football had all the teams and their names and helmets, but lacked real players and any non-single-game mode. (Haven’t been able to tell whether or not it had the full eleven to a side.) Plus TSB could simulate games! Now keep in mind that TSB came out in 1991. The first of the Front Page Sports: Football series for computer (a much more powerful medium than an NES!) wouldn’t come out till the next year…and wouldn’t have real player names until 1993…and wouldn’t have real logos until 1994. Even Madden wouldn’t feature actual player names till what…1993? TSB was phenomenal. It was a blast to play and, as a simulator, wasn’t even that far behind 16-bit games (and was ahead in some respects). I wish innovative pro football games hadn’t become a thing of the past with EA’s monopoly on the NFL license.

How Nathan Peterman continues to get paid by NFL teams, I just don’t know. Tecmo Super Bowl reference?

He isn’t a zero. He’s whatever the most boring QB number would be. I think of 11, remembering the twilight years of Drew Bledsoe’s career, but Mariota isn’t a sitting duck in the pocket, nor was he anywhere near as good, at his peak, as peak Bledsoe. But I still think of Bledsoe’s time in Dallas for some reason. Mariota is a plus runner and a team player. But he doesn’t make many big plays as a passer, and he commits too many turnovers for a game manager. He’s a high-end backup and a low-end starter. But he isn’t a zero.

I’m reminded of a particular variant on the well-traveled “vanishing hitchhiker” folk tale. Set during WWII, it features said hitchhiker, in lieu of paying the beleaguered driver, imparting a pair of predictions before vanishing: “There will be a dead body in your car today, and (the mustachioed fellow running swastika-land) will be dead within six months.” Pondering these words and the mysterious disappearance of his erstwhile passenger, the driver comes across the scene of a terrible wreck. Ambulances are behind schedule due to (insert reason here) and the hospital is just a mile away; could he transport the most critically injured victim of the crash? The man agrees, and he takes the injured victim to the hospital, but the poor fellow is pronounced DOA. The driver goes home, shaken by the day’s events but hopeful for the future. It isn’t a true story, but it was circulated as such…in, like, 1942. Ultimately the failed-artist-turned-dictator held on till 1945, putting paid to the tale’s veracity. Yet, in the moment, the first part of the prophecy looked to be true. My point? This fella could be a troll, a gullible guy who thinks he has inside info…or even someone who’s right about one thing and wrong about the other. But the veracity of one statement is ultimately independent from that of the other. Maybe some of what he said turns out to be right and he looks prescient; certainly doesn’t mean a 47-year-old Tom Brady will be exchanging his slippers for cleats. Heck, a broken watch is right twice a day; dude could end up hitting on something due to simple dumb luck. For the record, though, I think he is most likely of the same ilk as that weirdo who used to make wild-ass predictions in here. He may even be said weirdo. I don’t think he is privy to a chest of insider information, so I doubt he’s completely correct, but that doesn’t guarantee he’s 100% wrong - just like said hitchhiker, had they been real.

Well, let’s see…who’s the closest the Broncos have to a franchise player? Probably Pat Surtain, right? Where did he go to college? Take their styling, add a dash of inspiration from Bronco history, and make everything monochrome for ultimate fire and icy emojis. Done.

Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Alan Page! He is not purple and does not eat people.

Ooh, I really like that chrome gold facemask on the Colorado helmet. (Although I believe they got their uniforms right in the ‘90s and shouldn’t have changed much since then.)

What examples have we ever even had? 1996-2008 49ers, or does metallic gold even count as dark? Cardinals’ black alt maybe?

I could be on board with a red facemask and red socks for the newest set.

Eh. It would’ve worked better for the Jets than on these Texans jerseys. The horns are too curvy to look good being straight in the back. With NYJ, think of a white NOB box with black text on the green jersey, green with white text on the white jersey, white with green text on the black jersey (I know the actual black jerseys had green stripes but white would work better). It would also help if the sleeve (and pant) stripes had a thin outline in the color of the NOB text. Just kind of where my own mind went almost immediately after they unveiled those. Wouldn’t likely have been as good as what they will soon be wearing, though.

Thank you! You, sir, are the real MVP. I’ve said essentially the same thing about the now-outgoing NYJ uniforms, with their pointy plane wing jersey stripes, since they were introduced. That could’ve been really cool.

Thank you. Interestingly, it looks kind of like the blue horn with the red center that can be seen in the other picture, except this is red with a white center.

These are crying out for red socks.

Mmmm, red nougaty center…

Others have said so. I myself haven’t seen it. I might just need it pointed out to me.

“Market research shows that cohesion results in visibly fewer fire and icy emojis” ~some lead marketer at Swoosh HQ

Split the difference - blue helmet and socks, red numbers and pants.

The Texans and Bears actually already had the same shade of navy. My thoughts: mostly surprise, especially if this is the “bull” uniform. I figured there would be bull horns on the front of the helmet with that set. Too “icy” and not enough red, at least that we can see. Not sure what to think of the number font. Will probably reserve judgment till it’s been seen on the field. Would be really cool if the navy-heavy road set were meant to contrast a red-heavy home set, like an inverse of their original look, but I doubt it. That seems like too much cohesive thought for the walnut-brained Nike designers.

Clowney to me is a classic 3-4 OLB, minus a small amount of lateral agility but with more acceleration and strength. He’s faster than most 4-3 ends. He has been both in his career, and I believe was exclusively an end in college. So, who knows? Side note: I miss the OLBs who could play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3, and who were versatile enough to rush the passer, stop the run, set the edge, OR drop into coverage. Guys whose role the offense couldn’t predict on a given play. Somebody like Seth Joyner or Donnie Edwards.

I know edge positions are blurred, but wasn’t he technically an OLB with the Ravens?

He looks like a linebacker, maybe inside.