WideRight

Moving on to the NFL East.  We have already seen my Eagles' concept.  Now we have 2 more division rivals, each with their own challenges. 

NEW YORK GIANTS

NOTES

The Giants may seem an easy team to peg. Their look has been pretty simple and pretty classic for a long time, but the key is how you combine elements.  I decided to combine elements of the current look (helmet) with elements of the Simms/Taylor era (sleeve & pant stripes).  I also wanted to have both logos "NY" and "Giants" somehow involved.  So, ended up going with the NY helmet and using the Giants wordmark on the chest.  

I am not feeling confident about the alternate look, but I did not want to just do another throwback.  I wanted a different helmet color and a design that would clearly not be just a rehash of past designs.  White over white over white may not be ideal for the Giants, but it is at least different enough to clearly be an alternate. 

DALLAS COWBOYS

NOTES

The challenge with Dallas is not so much the design, a pretty consistent stripe pattern and overall look.  The problem is the colors.  Two very different blues, up to 3 kinds of silver, and they don't all go with each other at all.  So, I decided to basically follow what they sort of do now, having a darker blue for the dark jersey, pants, and socks on the darker set, and using the brighter royal blue on the white jersey and with the pants on the white set.   I have both colors in the helmet stripe, but stil think it might look odd as the only bright royal element with their dark set.  What I also did was limit the team to one silver color, and opted for the somewhat unique greenish silver from the home pant set as the only silver.  That may make the helmet again a bit odd, but I think overall it works. 

For the Alt I went with elements of past throwbacks. A white helmet, navy jersey with white yolk and white pants.  Not exactly the look from any of their throwbacks, but something of an homage to lots of past looks. 

Next up is the Commanders, and I will keep that name because we just don't know what the new ownership is really going to do there. 

1 hour ago, TrueYankee26 said:

If the Bucs actually used that number font in 2014 instead of the alarm clock monstrosity the jerseys would not have been too bad

I agree that the alarm clock numbers were a huge issue, but I also really did not like the "pewter" shoulders on that Bucs design.  For me, when you try to do pewter in a non-metallic material like jerseys or pants it just comes out looking like a muddy grey, like dirty dish water.  Some colors just don't work if you don't have the metallic finish (dazzle fabric).  I point to the current UFL Stallions and Panthers.  Without a metallic sheen champagne and Stallion gold just turn into khaki, and khaki rarely works as a good uniform color. 

OK, a major drop as I completed the three remaining NFC south teams over the weekend.  Most needed only minor tweaks.  Only Atlanta was a major overhaul.  So, we will start with the minor adjustments and then hit the Falcons. 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

NOTES

1. Back to gold pants as the norm, and stripes on pants as the requirement. 

2. Gold lettering, but i stuck with the lighter, more modern gold. 

3. Brought back the Louisiana Fleur De Lis secondary as a chest patch. 

4. Added numbers to the pants just to try something a bit different. 

5. Went for a black over black alternate even though I generally don't like unitards.  Striping helps.

6. Revived the old shield logo and use it at the base of the helmet stripe. 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

NOTES

1. Pretty much their current jerseys/pants but with a new number font. 

2. Decided to remove the flag from the logo and just go with the skull & crossbones.

3. Tried out a few alts, but ended up just ensuring that they have a Bucco Bruce creamsicle option.  Generally I am assuming that all teams have a throwback look, so my alt uni is not that, but with Tampa Bay, the throwback is so essential that I thought it was the only alt uni they needed. 

ATLANTA FALCONS

NOTES:

1. I know a lot of folks want a straight-up throwback look, but I generally don't.  Not for Atlanta.  So, I tried to merge some elements of older looks with some new elements.  

2. The helmet works for me as black on black.  Saving the red option for the alt look. 

3. Decided a version of what the NY Jets currently do works better for the Falcons, and I like it more than the side panel stripes on the current jersey.

4. With Atlanta, it is more about taking away bad elements (oversized ATL on front, side panels, ombre jersey, etc.) and going with a more basic but still modern take on a red jersey and silver pants (or black). 

5. The Alt is again not a pure throwback, but includes a bit of a mix of old and new in the helmet, then just a black alternate jersey and a white pant set.  I could see the Falcons combining these looks in lots of ways (Red helmet w. red jersey and silver pants, all black alt, black jersey and helmet with silver pants, etc.).

So, there you go, the entire NFC South is done, as is the NFC West.  Next up is likely the NFC East. 

25 minutes ago, neo_prankster said:

I would change the sleeves on the home jersey to blue with yellow horns.

That does make sense.  I went back and looked at some Dickerson jerseys and that is what it was, so here is a revision.  

Having already posted my concepts for the Cards, Niners, and Seahawks, I figured I should wrap up the NFC West with the Rams. 

NOTES

1. Brought back the St. Louis Ram logo with the new brighter colors. 

2. A return again to my youth and the ram horns on the sleeves, now with the split from the current design.

3. Not sure about the home blues having a white horn segment, but the blue just did not make sense. 

4. Wide pant stripes, like the 9ers, just works for the Rams' yellow pant set. 

5. Decided to go with white numbers on the blue jerseys because otherwise it is a lot of yellow.

6. Added some white highlights to the helmet design, just to add a bit more contrast. 

7. The Alt is a fauxback to the days when the Rams were a blue and white team, without the gold. 

All in all, a design I could see Vince Ferragamo or Eric Dickerson applauding. 

And one more for this morning, a very retro pastiche look at the Philadelphia Eagles. 

NOTES:

I wanted to bring back the Carmichael/Jaworski/Montgomery era look I remember as a child, but not lose a lot of the newer elements, so...

• a version of the multiple stripe sleeving from the 80's
• a color lighter than Midnight Green, but not all the way back to Kelly, with still some blue to it. Let's call it 9pm Green since it is not nearly as dark. 
• Kept the more modern main logo and number font. 
• Kept the current wings, which I think are just perfect. 
• Modified the pant stripe
• They can and do wear the white jersey with silver pants, but (as per my rule about unitards) never the green pants with the green jersey (but not a real green dress, that's cruel, to quote BNL).
• Added an alt that brings back the simplicity of the Randall Cunningham era, but with the white helmet from the 60's (70's?) but also the newer eagle head logo in place of the flying eagle logo. 

It is another mix-up of past eras with just a bit of new.  

1 hour ago, DCarp1231 said:

Out of curiosity, what would the pants striping look like if the NW stripe was repeated down the side?

I tried several versions.  Did not care for the blue on silver with no white, but then when I added white to imitate the sleeve stripes it got way too busy.  If you look at version 1, I think that is the best pure "vertical" stripe version I could come up with. 

I decided to take another crack at the Lions, removing some of the unfortunate 0-16, Matt Millen era items (number font for example) and doubling down on the Northwestern Stripe motif by adding it to the numerals.  Switched the pant stripe around as well. Perhaps a bit too new-school for the Lions, but it still maintains the NW Stripe as well, so maybe not. 

Next up is Detroit.   A lot of Sanders-era to this look, and why not?  It is iconic.  We keep some elements of later looks (number font and updated logo for example), but largely a return to the Sanders look. 

NOTES:

1. I decided to simplify the striping on the pants and helmet compared to the sleeves. 

2. They probably would wear the silver pants even with white, but I wanted to give a blue option.

3. No grey socks, because no.

4. Added an Old English "D" logo just to have something different to use on the pants.  

4. The alt is a nod to the BFBS craze that infected Detroit.  I paired the all black look with the classic logo just to mix things up a bit.  

I guess my commentary would be to sacrifice some authenticity for smoother lines. Most pro sports logos are about motion and lines that lead the eye in a particular direction.  Some examples of lines that could be simplified would be the dorsal fin, the "neck" and head lines, and the rear edge of the tail.  I would say to take a look at some other fish logos out there for comparison. The Chris Creamer main page has several you could use as examples:

Minnesota Fighting Pike  (Arena Football League)

Columbus Catfish (minor league baseball)

Gwinnett Stripers (minor league baseball)

Victoria Salmon Kings (minor league hockey)

Idaho Steelheads (minor league hockey)

Waco Blue Cats (minor league baseball)

Minnesota Muskies (minor league hockey)

Florida Tarpons (indoor football)

Northern Kentucky River Monsters (indoor football)

Decided to do the NY Jets next.  In my mind the key with the Jets is to find ways to combine the Namath Era with the Sack Exchange Era.  So, what you will see is a mix of both in the standard uniforms, and even the alt uniform, which again blends 2 eras. 

Notes:

Some of the changes/decisions made:

1. I wanted to stick with the green helmet, so I combined the 1980's JETS logo with the football from the current logo.  

2. The jersey is mostly Namath-era, but with a more consistent green color than we saw in the early NIKE years and with the new combined logo on the chest.   That Namath era striping is so unique and identifiable with the Jets that I had to give it preference over the 1980's 2-stripe design. 

3. Pants are Sack Exchange Era. 

4. For the Alt, I basicallly remixed the whole thing.  Sack Exchange era jersey, with 2 stripes, which combines with the 2-stripe pants and the 2-stripe white helmet from the Namath era and a retro logo.  So, once again not entirely 1969 or 1985, but a mmix of both.  What I think works on the alt is the consistency of the striping.  

1 hour ago, MCM0313 said:

I’d like to see a blue jersey in the old Pat style, with the old logo and striping pattern. 

So, basically LA Tech? 

Very solid look.  

12 hours ago, MCM0313 said:

Those pant stripes are chef’s kiss. 

I always liked the 1994 (I think) stripe, so I just put them on white pants instead of grey and there you go.  Best part of that first flying Elvis look. 

OK, I spent way too much time trying to figure out a Titans look I actually liked.  This is what I came up with.  Notes below. 

NOTES:

There was a lot of the original Steve McNair era look that I liked, so you see I have brought back a lot, but I never cared for the flaming thumbtack, so I tried a bunch of options and landed on using the thumbtack itself along with the 3 stars as the primary elements, removing the flames.  Other notes:

1. Revived the number font and the shoulder yokes from the earlier uniforms.  

2. Settled on a simple thin 2-stripe motif as the main image for the helmet stripe, pants stripe, and yes, a side panel stripe on the jerseys.  

3. Opted to stick with a navy helmet as the primary, and brought back a white helmet for the alt look. 

4. No light blue pants in this scheme, but I could see them possibly having one, just not paired with the light blue jersey. 

5. The sword secondary logo is used on the sleeves, but the T+3 Stars is used as the primary without any flames. 

6. Decided to use the 3 stars from the state flag as a mini-logo, appearing on the pants and the rear bumper of the helmet. 

One more that I would refer to as part of the "minor tweaks" group of teams. 

Cleveland went a bit nuts for a while there, but have come back to recognizing that they are a legacy team, one that should retain an old school look and not try to be newfangled.   This tweak just fixes a couple of issues I have had with the Browns over time. 

So what is different?

1. The biggest change is that I wanted to go back to a more muted orange tone, basing it on the Brian Sipe era.  It is a subtle difference, but in my mind just feels more like a team from the 50's than a team trying to be hip in the 2020's. 

2. I have never liked the pant stripes to be orange outside of brown.  For me keeping brown on the outside is just a better color balance. 

3. I think the B in football logo is the most manageable option for them.  You really don't want to see the Brownie on a uniform, do you?   So, I kept that logo as a chest patch  in place of the team name just so it did not mess with the sleeves. 

4. I went full old-school with the alt, looking back at some old AAFC and very early NFL photos of Otto Graham.  So, white over white over white, with numbers on the helmet and a simplified sleeve stripe to just give a "this team is old as dirt" feel.   I did use the orange-black-orange on the alt just to again evoke a bygone era and to make them distinct from the standard white pants or jersey. 

One more for today.  The New England Patriots. 

As anyone can tell from my account name and avatar, I am a Bills fan, avidly since the age of 12.  So, I have not had much positive to say about the Patriots in a long time.  I liked the Patsies when they wore red, had Pat the Patriot on the helmet and won 3 games a year.  That is the natural order of things.  I am still convinced that Tom Brady, along with several of our post-1999 elections, and 9/11, and MTV never playing music, and Generation Z college kids wearing pajamas and fuzzy animal slippers to class, and a few other oddities, are all signs that the world ended at the Millennium and we are all actually living in pretty shoddily made matrix.  I mean, come on!!! Tuck rule my ass!!  

Anyway, I wanted to return the Patriots to their red-emphasis glory and their on-field irrelevance, so the design pulls in a lot of elements from the Steve Grogan era, along with a few nods to the early Belicheat (sorry force of habit) years.   Notes below. 

1. First off, Pat the Patriot is back.  It is a great logo.  Yes, a bit cartoony, but it is both a Patriot and a football player, what more could you ask for? And it sits on a white shell, which just works. 

2. One of my favorite Patriot looks ever was the pant set that they used only the 1st year of the Flying Elvis.  I love how the blue transitions to the red just as in the logo.  It works so well on the pants.  So, that style is back, now on white pants or inverted with red pants.  

3. I put the same basic stripe pattern on the helmet, and I think it works OK there, at least it is a bit different from just a straight up throwback look. 

4. I pulled in some more modern elements with the numbering, the first use of silver in the new look.  and I decided that while the shoulder stripe worked fine on the red jersey, it did not really pop for the white jersey, so I went with the shoulder stripe-colored sleeve combo, which I often like quite a bit. 

5. You will see I also reverted to the older "Patriotic" font for the wordmark.  It is very busy, but it is also very NE Patriots in my mind. 

6. The alt look brings back more of the recent elements of Patriot design, the silver helmet, blue jersey, etc.  I did not go fully Brady era, keeping the older pants and using a blue facemask instead of red.  I consider this their nod to blue as a dominant color but with a team that normally stresses red.  

So, before you critique this look, just know that my first version just had a repeating "cheaters" over and over as the stripe, and a poop emoji as the logo.  So, considering that, this is an act of kindness on my part for the Patriots.  

Next up, another pretty radical departure from a current look, but one that brings back a lot of the past. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

I am a big fan of both the early royal & kelly look and of the Hasselbeck era twin blue look (I hated that they unitarded it, but the colors and uniform components were great.)  So, with this design I am merging the two.  Not pure throwback to either era, but a mix of both. 

NOTES: 

1. I opted to use the color palette of the 2000's design, rather than returning to royal and kelly, but the silver helmet is back, as is the use of the logo as the sleeve design. 

2. I went back to the twin blue, with the navy on the sleeves and the slate blue for the body, but now the sleeves have a tapered edge on the top, rising to a point mid-shoulder. 

3. Classic number font, nothing fancy there.  I did remove all of the new Native American feather pattern. It is the one feature of the current look that I like, but it just did not fit in. 

4. I am not a huge fan of the electric green as a main color, but I think it can work as a jersey if nothing else is also kelly green (again, no unitarding).  So, the alt returns to the navy helmet and white pants along with the green jersey. 

Love the scripts, but I am a bit confused by the Jacks logo because the figure looks like he is wearing a crown, more like a King than a Jack.  Other than that, I am really liking the style here. 

For my next redesign, I went to the local club that is rumored to be getting a redo, the Denver Broncos.  

With obvious kudos and inspiration from @KG_grfx and his brilliant incorporation of the mountains from the city flag, this uniform uses a mountain motif pretty heavily. 

So, what is different?:

1. While I kept the main logo, most of the rest of the 1996 design is gone.  That includes the darker blue emphasis, with a return of Denver's light royal as the main color. 

2. We return to an orange primary, and use a mountain motif on the sleeves with a bit more of a jagged edge than @KG_grfx used.

3. The helmet combines the tapered stripe from 1996 with the earlier triple stripe.

4. The older "D" logo is used as a secondary, appearing on the pants. 

5. Blue pants are used instead of orange, but only with the white jersey.  White on white is possible but never orange over blue. 

6. We also have a version of the new white alternate, now an all white "snowcap" look that brings back the D logo and uses double outlined white numbers to reinforce the snow motif. 

One last one for today, the third of my reboots, San Francisco.  I wanted to do a retro look for the 49ers, so why not go back to 1949?  So, I brought back the silver and red, the Northwestern Stripes, and the overall simplified look.  I know the 9ers like to pull out the 1994 retro, but why not go all the way back to 1949, the 100th anniversary of the original Gold Rush, and besides, it lets SF bring silver back for a very different look. 

So, despite the fact that I find most alt uniforms to be a downgrade from the standard ones, and a bit of brand dilution, I recognize that they are here to stay, so I might as well make a few that I actually like.  So, here are two alt uniforms for the first two teams that I did reboots of, the Cardinals and the Jaguars. 

For the Cards I decided to go the opposite of BFBS and basically remove as much black and white as I could.  So, a heavily copper uniform with an alt-red jersey.  

For the Jags I decided to embrace the BFBS vibe, in part because it is a huge part of the Jaguars' identity.  I opted to go with tones of black and grey, with a few hints of teal, but no gold in this "black panther" alt.  I did go with white numbers because you still have to make life tolerable for the refs and the tv announcers, so the numbers need to be visible.   They will be one of only a couple of teams I let do a "black out" style uniform.  We may also see a white out as well, but mostly I will try to stick with standard team colors in different combos.  

17 hours ago, sky1324 said:

Unfortunately the 49ers redesign comes across as change for change's sake and I don't think it adds to the look at all, especially the use of black, which is entirely superfluous. I don't think the Niners needed any changes, but the changes that were made don't feel particularly necessary. If you're going to change them, I'd like to see a more bold look.

 

The changes to Arizona's color scheme makes it better. I'd still like to see the sleeve and pants stripe match.

I get that.  Some of the changes are going to be very minor, and may be a bit unnecessary (49ers and Browns are good examples), while other teams need total overhauls.  I am trying not to just do a pure throwback look with no new features, so that does keep me from just uploading a perfectly good earlier version of the uniform.   I think most uniforms will have something distinct, but that may on occasion seemed forced. 

And something was bugging me about the Cards, so I looked again and I think that it was just too dark.  So, I lightened up the red and the bronze/copper. Same design, just a bit brighter. 

Just a quick added note here:  I was surprised to find on the TruColor website that the Cardinal red used by this franchise has apparently been consistent over time.  I could have sweared that the Cards I grew up with in the 80's had a much darker red, closer to the (Commanders) or Alabama than to the brighter red we see today, or like a team like Louisville or Indiana.  But, according to them it has been basically the same cardinal red.  I just misremember it as being more of a burgundy color. 

Still trying to find an option for Tennessee that I like, but there are several teams who I just want to tweak a little, so maybe some of those first.   Here is a good example. 

I grew up on Montana and Rice, so for me the closer to that look we can get the better.  So, here is what I did:

1. Returned to the 3 stripes on the jersey

2. Added a very thin black stripe around the thick red and white stripes on the helmet and pants. 

3. Returned to SF having one of the widest pant stripes in all of football.  Always liked that. 

4. Striped socks.

5. Used an old alt logo as a secondary, and put it on the back above the player name. 

6. Wanted just a touch of gold on the jerseys so I added gold Nike swooshes and a gold frontpiece on the collar. 

7. Perhaps the most controversial move, I did not like the grey facemask but neither red nor gold worked.  So, I tried something new, black.  It is a team color, so maybe it could act as a "neutral" facemask color.   Does it work or does it ruin the look?  

Otherwise very recognizable and very SF 49er. 

I did have a couple more helmet designs.