NFL Changes 2015

[El Scorcho]

I'm not sure how you could argue that they don't. They've probably got the brightest uniforms in the league.

The drop shadow on the numbers is ugly as hell. They badly needed an upgrade, and every concept I see on here gives them bright orange and big sleeve stripes which they just don't need. When your colours are so bright, having too many features just makes the whole thing look lurid and garish.

Simplifying it all and reducing orange and the darker aqua to accent colours was the right move.

Unpopular opinion, at least around here.

It's easy for fans of opposition teams to say we should have more orange, but as a fan wearing a jersey around, it's so much nicer wearing the new jersey than the old, or a lot of the orange heavy concepts on these boards.

It also sidesteps what I think is a pretty massive issue in the NFL today, and that's the fact that pro sleeve cuts mean that retail jerseys will look wildly different from the uniforms the players wear out on the field because of the striping. The 49ers are probably the best example. Their sleeve striping was designed for the pro cut and the retail translation looks really stupid. The Vikings are a bit the same, although the longer sleeved retail version doesn't look that bad, it's nowhere near as good as the pro cut.

Losing orange heavy sleeve stripes keep the uniform looking sleek and classy despite the brightest colours in the league, and sidestepped the sleeve striping issue. I am neither here nor there about the logo, but it does fit in with the stripped back aesthetic they went for, so I like it in that sense.

[jp1409]

I'm not sure how you could argue that they don't. They've probably got the brightest uniforms in the league.

The drop shadow on the numbers is ugly as hell. They badly needed an upgrade, and every concept I see on here gives them bright orange and big sleeve stripes which they just don't need. When your colours are so bright, having too many features just makes the whole thing look lurid and garish.

Simplifying it all and reducing orange and the darker aqua to accent colours was the right move.

Unpopular opinion, at least around here.

It's easy for fans of opposition teams to say we should have more orange, but as a fan wearing a jersey around, it's so much nicer wearing the new jersey than the old, or a lot of the orange heavy concepts on these boards.

It also sidesteps what I think is a pretty massive issue in the NFL today, and that's the fact that pro sleeve cuts mean that retail jerseys will look wildly different from the uniforms the players wear out on the field because of the striping. The 49ers are probably the best example. Their sleeve striping was designed for the pro cut and the retail translation looks really stupid. The Vikings are a bit the same, although the longer sleeved retail version doesn't look that bad, it's nowhere near as good as the pro cut.

Losing orange heavy sleeve stripes keep the uniform looking sleek and classy despite the brightest colours in the league, and sidestepped the sleeve striping issue. I am neither here nor there about the logo, but it does fit in with the stripped back aesthetic they went for, so I like it in that sense.

As a fellow Dolphins fan I totally agree. The previous jerseys were garish and had a lot of flaws they were clearly not as good as the previous ones. The new uniforms are simple, the colors are awesome and it totally fits both the on-field and fan cuts.

[tohasbo]

Recolored some official graphics - using the Pantone Textile matches to see how this might look:

Aqua pants look awful. How about a White pair, with a Blue center stripe instead?:

(Probably shouldn't, since you'd have an awkward mis-match with the helmet stripe then.)

Now, a recolored sock as well:

This would look perfect.

[jp1409]

An alt for a team which barely wears his main dark uniforms is still incredibly stupid...

[Cosmic]

Recolored some official graphics - using the Pantone Textile matches to see how this might look:

Aqua pants look awful. How about a White pair, with a Blue center stripe instead?:

(Probably shouldn't, since you'd have an awkward mis-match with the helmet stripe then.)

Now, a recolored sock as well:

This would look perfect.

South Beach Nights

[CubsFanBudMan]

If I look at the blue as a dark teal I like it better.

I have no doubt the Dolphins jerseys look better in person because you'd be able to see the orange and the true shade of the blue.

[daveindc]

Oh how I wish I was in Miami Beach right now:

[djam2410]

Oh how I wish I was in Miami Beach right now:

not enough orange, looks like a downgrade to me

[TheOldRoman]

It's easy for fans of opposition teams to say we should have more orange, but as a fan wearing a jersey around, it's so much nicer wearing the new jersey than the old, or a lot of the orange heavy concepts on these boards.

It also sidesteps what I think is a pretty massive issue in the NFL today, and that's the fact that pro sleeve cuts mean that retail jerseys will look wildly different from the uniforms the players wear out on the field because of the striping. The 49ers are probably the best example. Their sleeve striping was designed for the pro cut and the retail translation looks really stupid. The Vikings are a bit the same, although the longer sleeved retail version doesn't look that bad, it's nowhere near as good as the pro cut.

Losing orange heavy sleeve stripes keep the uniform looking sleek and classy despite the brightest colours in the league, and sidestepped the sleeve striping issue. I am neither here nor there about the logo, but it does fit in with the stripped back aesthetic they went for, so I like it in that sense.

Dude, you're talking about wearing a football jersey in public. You aren't going to look "classy" no matter which team's jersey you wore, and that's not why anybody chooses to wear one. It annoys me greatly when people say this. It's sports apparel. It's sometimes loud and it represents a team. It's not supposed to be dress casual. Teams shouldn't design identities that go well with khakis so you can wear team polo to work on Fridays. You aren't going to look like any more or less of a slob sitting at a Buffalo Wild Wings in a Raiders jersey than a Dolphins jersey. Nobody is going to remark on how well you're dressed in a Bears jersey while buying a can of paint at Home Depot. If you don't like the team's colors, there are other teams to root for.

Anyone saying "I'm a Vikings fan, but I hope they put out a black hat because I can't wear a purple hat. That's garish!" deserves to be kicked in the testicles, in my opinion. They like the Vikings, or at least the concept of a team called "Vikings", but in rejecting the way the team has always looked, they're rejecting the team. They don't want to represent the team. It's supposed to represent the team. The Dolphins' colors have been aqua and orange for over 50 years. There's a huge difference between doing something awful like orange sleeves with giant orange drop shadows, and *not* throwing in an intrusive blue outline and reducing orange to the point where it's barely visible. I'm not saying the Dolphins need to look like clowns, but what they wear now isn't cutting it.

[Jungle Jim]

Oh how I wish I was in Miami Beach right now:

not enough orange, looks like a downgrade to me

Oh, wow. Those photos reveal what I now assume was their inspiration for the two shades of blue. At the risk of looking like a fool, I'll confess that I didn't know that until I saw those pics just now.

As for orange, there's no reason it, too, can't have a prominent place in their color scheme...

[Gothamite]

It's easy for fans of opposition teams to say we should have more orange, but as a fan wearing a jersey around, it's so much nicer wearing the new jersey than the old, or a lot of the orange heavy concepts on these boards.

It also sidesteps what I think is a pretty massive issue in the NFL today, and that's the fact that pro sleeve cuts mean that retail jerseys will look wildly different from the uniforms the players wear out on the field because of the striping. The 49ers are probably the best example. Their sleeve striping was designed for the pro cut and the retail translation looks really stupid. The Vikings are a bit the same, although the longer sleeved retail version doesn't look that bad, it's nowhere near as good as the pro cut.

Losing orange heavy sleeve stripes keep the uniform looking sleek and classy despite the brightest colours in the league, and sidestepped the sleeve striping issue. I am neither here nor there about the logo, but it does fit in with the stripped back aesthetic they went for, so I like it in that sense.

Dude, you're talking about wearing a football jersey in public. You aren't going to look "classy" no matter which team's jersey you wore, and that's not why anybody chooses to wear one. It annoys me greatly when people say this. It's sports apparel. It's sometimes loud and it represents a team. It's not supposed to be dress casual. Teams shouldn't design identities that go well with khakis so you can wear team polo to work on Fridays. You aren't going to look like any more or less of a slob sitting at a Buffalo Wild Wings in a Raiders jersey than a Dolphins jersey. Nobody is going to remark on how well you're dressed in a Bears jersey while buying a can of paint at Home Depot. If you don't like the team's colors, there are other teams to root for.

Anyone saying "I'm a Vikings fan, but I hope they put out a black hat because I can't wear a purple hat. That's garish!" deserves to be kicked in the testicles, in my opinion. They like the Vikings, or at least the concept of a team called "Vikings", but in rejecting the way the team has always looked, they're rejecting the team. They don't want to represent the team. It's supposed to represent the team. The Dolphins' colors have been aqua and orange for over 50 years. There's a huge difference between doing something awful like orange sleeves with giant orange drop shadows, and *not* throwing in an intrusive blue outline and reducing orange to the point where it's barely visible. I'm not saying the Dolphins need to look like clowns, but what they wear now isn't cutting it.

I hate to quote long posts, but QFFT.

I couldn't leave a single thing out. Designing uniforms that will match with khakis is when sports design started going off the rails in the 1990s. Another navy jersey, anyone?

[Sykotyk]

It's easy for fans of opposition teams to say we should have more orange, but as a fan wearing a jersey around, it's so much nicer wearing the new jersey than the old, or a lot of the orange heavy concepts on these boards.

It also sidesteps what I think is a pretty massive issue in the NFL today, and that's the fact that pro sleeve cuts mean that retail jerseys will look wildly different from the uniforms the players wear out on the field because of the striping. The 49ers are probably the best example. Their sleeve striping was designed for the pro cut and the retail translation looks really stupid. The Vikings are a bit the same, although the longer sleeved retail version doesn't look that bad, it's nowhere near as good as the pro cut.

Losing orange heavy sleeve stripes keep the uniform looking sleek and classy despite the brightest colours in the league, and sidestepped the sleeve striping issue. I am neither here nor there about the logo, but it does fit in with the stripped back aesthetic they went for, so I like it in that sense.

Dude, you're talking about wearing a football jersey in public. You aren't going to look "classy" no matter which team's jersey you wore, and that's not why anybody chooses to wear one. It annoys me greatly when people say this. It's sports apparel. It's sometimes loud and it represents a team. It's not supposed to be dress casual. Teams shouldn't design identities that go well with khakis so you can wear team polo to work on Fridays. You aren't going to look like any more or less of a slob sitting at a Buffalo Wild Wings in a Raiders jersey than a Dolphins jersey. Nobody is going to remark on how well you're dressed in a Bears jersey while buying a can of paint at Home Depot. If you don't like the team's colors, there are other teams to root for.

Anyone saying "I'm a Vikings fan, but I hope they put out a black hat because I can't wear a purple hat. That's garish!" deserves to be kicked in the testicles, in my opinion. They like the Vikings, or at least the concept of a team called "Vikings", but in rejecting the way the team has always looked, they're rejecting the team. They don't want to represent the team. It's supposed to represent the team. The Dolphins' colors have been aqua and orange for over 50 years. There's a huge difference between doing something awful like orange sleeves with giant orange drop shadows, and *not* throwing in an intrusive blue outline and reducing orange to the point where it's barely visible. I'm not saying the Dolphins need to look like clowns, but what they wear now isn't cutting it.

His primary issue is the disparity in the sleeves from the pro jerseys to the fan jerseys. Which, I agree with entirely. Not because they should be formal or business casual, as you seem to claim his argument to be, but that they don't match.

Fan jerseys have a full sleeve with the stripes wrapping the entire way around the sleeve (as they did in the 80s and earlier). Pro jerseys have a 'sleeve stub' that sits right below the yoke. Striping DOES NOT wrap around this as it's simply a small piece of fabric designed to hold the stripes.

Fan jersey:

Old player jersey (Bernie Kosar):

New player jersey (Joe Thomas):

See the issue? Back when the fan jersey and the player jersey were relatively the same, there was no issue. Now, the sleeve stripes are really shoulder adornments that look bad considering they're squeezed into an area where stripes shouldn't be. This also meant that the player numbers were pushed from the outside edge of the shoulder/upper arm and onto the clavicle.

Some modern jerseys have accommodated this with different designs. My high school went from those Bernie Kosar style stripes and went with simple sold color arcs, a la USC Trojans:

It still allows you a contrasting color on the edge of the sleeve, but designed for the way jerseys are actually made today.

Remember that equipment design has effected color patterns in sports teams for years. The Princeton helmet was because of the leather design of the helmet. Ohio State had the 'broad stripe' because of a similar design. Hell, the single stripe down the middle (later accompanied by outside lines, such as the Browns going from one single white stripe to a brown-white-brown was because there was a plastic ridge down the center where the two halves of the helmet were joined together. Facemasks getting color was because they suddenly existed. With jerseys having 'side panels' led to teams modifying the colors. The yoke being separate led to teams changing those colors (Tennessee Titans), etc.

Things change. Sometimes, the designs dictate that we must move on from older styles because they just don't fit with the modern elements.

[TheOldRoman]

No, that wasn't his primary issue and yes, I'm aware of the issue with sleeves. But that has nothing to do with the Dolphins cramming in (or keeping) blue and minimalizing orange to the point that you barely see it. He likes that the Dolphins are wearing less orange. Modern uniform templates don't preclude use of orange.

[Sykotyk]

No, that wasn't his primary issue and yes, I'm aware of the issue with sleeves. But that has nothing to do with the Dolphins cramming in (or keeping) blue and minimalizing orange to the point that you barely see it. He likes that the Dolphins are wearing less orange. Modern uniform templates don't preclude use of orange.

Considering his post I quoted (and the other users response), it was. Sleekness of the uniform and that it 'makes sense' is paramount both on and off the field. That it plays into being able to wear it out in public and not looking like an arena team, or an Oregon Ducks day-glo jersey would be a plus to most fans.

If you had to ask, which jersey do fans of the Broncos like wearing: orange or blue, they'd probably say blue. On the field, they'd probably say orange. Browns fans, for instance, generally like the white at home and brown to wear as fans. That doesn't take away from the argument that the design of the uniforms isn't bad. Especially given the part I quoted. He primarily cared that the uniform he is wearing matches what the players are actually wearing. And that it's simple. Overly done uniforms tend not to be favorites. Look at the Steelers bumblebee uniform. Not many fans are going to wear a pee-soaked prison uniform around town. Whether they're going for style points or not.

[TheOldRoman]

I had originally eliminated quotes from my post (to be nice), but he was referencing reducing the orange. He specifically said reducing orange was a good choice, then said that the current sleeves are also a good choice.

As for the rest of the post, do you live in Denver or Cleveland? I don't live in either, so I can't say for sure. There were a whole hell of a lot of orange Bears jerseys being worn in Chicago over the past decade. I'd be legitimately shocked if Broncos fans didn't primarily wear orange jerseys, especially since they were vocal about making orange the primary color again. There are surely some people who don't want to wear loud colors and feel like it's too obnoxious. But that's a dumb way to think and it's not any more or less sloppy than other jerseys. Football jerseys (or t-shirts, sweatshirts) are not dress clothes. They aren't dress casual. They are leisure wear that's worn to show support for a team. That's great, but wearing them in no way makes one look classy or stylish, no matter what. They probably shouldn't ever be worn on a date, unless you're going to a game or your date has a neck tattoo.

If you're going to a football game or going to a bar to watch a game, you can wear any loud or obnoxious jersey and nobody would give you a second look. You're supporting the team, and that's how the team dresses. For people who want to take it a step further and wear their gear throughout the week, to the grocery store or taking their kids to the zoo, it's the same thing. They're representing the team. When they got dressed, they chose to represent the team rather than trying to look well-dressed or otherwise presentable. And it's fine that they did so, but it's also ridiculous when some of said fans think it's beneath them to wear the appropriate team colors. Honestly, "I'm going to a football game and wearing a $150 t-shirt, drinking beer and sitting between shirtless 300 pounders with their chests painted, but egads I can't be caught dead in orange!" Kick that guy square in the balls. It's dumb. They aren't impressing people no matter what color jersey they wear. I'm not doubting some of those people exist. I know they do. But it's just a crazy line of thought and I don't think it represents a significant portion of any fanbase.

[Sykotyk]

I had originally eliminated quotes from my post (to be nice), but he was referencing reducing the orange. He specifically said reducing orange was a good choice, then said that the current sleeves are also a good choice.

As for the rest of the post, do you live in Denver or Cleveland? I don't live in either, so I can't say for sure. There were a whole hell of a lot of orange Bears jerseys being worn in Chicago over the past decade. I'd be legitimately shocked if Broncos fans didn't primarily wear orange jerseys, especially since they were vocal about making orange the primary color again. There are surely some people who don't want to wear loud colors and feel like it's too obnoxious. But that's a dumb way to think and it's not any more or less sloppy than other jerseys. Football jerseys (or t-shirts, sweatshirts) are not dress clothes. They aren't dress casual. They are leisure wear that's worn to show support for a team. That's great, but wearing them in no way makes one look classy or stylish, no matter what. They probably shouldn't ever be worn on a date, unless you're going to a game or your date has a neck tattoo.

If you're going to a football game or going to a bar to watch a game, you can wear any loud or obnoxious jersey and nobody would give you a second look. You're supporting the team, and that's how the team dresses. For people who want to take it a step further and wear their gear throughout the week, to the grocery store or taking their kids to the zoo, it's the same thing. They're representing the team. When they got dressed, they chose to represent the team rather than trying to look well-dressed or otherwise presentable. And it's fine that they did so, but it's also ridiculous when some of said fans think it's beneath them to wear the appropriate team colors. Honestly, "I'm going to a football game and wearing a $150 t-shirt, drinking beer and sitting between shirtless 300 pounders with their chests painted, but egads I can't be caught dead in orange!" Kick that guy square in the balls. It's dumb. They aren't impressing people no matter what color jersey they wear. I'm not doubting some of those people exist. I know they do. But it's just a crazy line of thought and I don't think it represents a large portion of any fanbase.

After reading your response, I went back through the thread (I'm not going to reread 17 pages just to make a response to one post, generally). So, yeah, he started by complaining about the old jerseys having orange. However, his argument seemed to change by the time he reached the post I quoted. Either because he was done discussing it (neither side would agree) or he felt the reason orange was bad was because, as he said, too many bright colors takes away from the uniqueness of bright colors.

Regarding jerseys/sports apparel as 'fashion'... you seem to fail to realize that casual-wear can be the epitome of fashion, for that style. For instance, socks and sandles, even considering it 'casual', is a no go for almost any logical person in America. The fact it's not 'formal' doesn't mean it's okay. There's reams of 'People of Walmart' that show just because they're not dressed formally that there still isn't some sort of unspoken rules about casual attire, both design and color.

True, most Americans have accepted sports apparel, and jerseys especially, as acceptable to wear as casual. That doesn't take away from the fact that there's various KINDS that aren't generally going to be seen in public.

You're less likely to see a modern Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey in public than the older red/pewter jerseys since the 90s. There's a reason. And teams seem to be tonedeaf on that reason when they come up with some of these very garrish designs for jerseys. If sports is a business, and every business is out to maximize profits, why would you hamstring one of your best money-making ventures, jerseys?

The NBA has learned that fans don't want to wear tank tops and wearing them over a t-shirt looks bad. So, the advent of the sleeved jersey came into vogue. Not because they needed to, but because the fans wouldn't buy sleeved jerseys if not for the players actually wearing them, even limited, on the court.

Today, everything is a dollar figure. A poorly designed jersey is leaving money on the table.

[CitizenTino]

No, that wasn't his primary issue and yes, I'm aware of the issue with sleeves. But that has nothing to do with the Dolphins cramming in (or keeping) blue and minimalizing orange to the point that you barely see it. He likes that the Dolphins are wearing less orange. Modern uniform templates don't preclude use of orange.

Considering his post I quoted (and the other users response), it was. Sleekness of the uniform and that it 'makes sense' is paramount both on and off the field. That it plays into being able to wear it out in public and not looking like an arena team, or an Oregon Ducks day-glo jersey would be a plus to most fans.

If you had to ask, which jersey do fans of the Broncos like wearing: orange or blue, they'd probably say blue. On the field, they'd probably say orange. Browns fans, for instance, generally like the white at home and brown to wear as fans. That doesn't take away from the argument that the design of the uniforms isn't bad. Especially given the part I quoted. He primarily cared that the uniform he is wearing matches what the players are actually wearing. And that it's simple. Overly done uniforms tend not to be favorites. Look at the Steelers bumblebee uniform. Not many fans are going to wear a pee-soaked prison uniform around town. Whether they're going for style points or not.

That is unequivocally false. During one of the years Mike Holmgren was running the front office, he got the bright idea to have the team wear white at home for the full season, thinking it would be a nice homage to the franchise's glory days. But, as with so many other things the Browns have done, fan reaction was overwhelmingly negative. The experiment was dropped after one season.

[ConcreteCharlie]

I think designing uniforms for any reason other than the actual players or on-field use is downright sinister

[TheOldRoman]

After reading your response, I went back through the thread (I'm not going to reread 17 pages just to make a response to one post, generally). So, yeah, he started by complaining about the old jerseys having orange. However, his argument seemed to change by the time he reached the post I quoted. Either because he was done discussing it (neither side would agree) or he felt the reason orange was bad was because, as he said, too many bright colors takes away from the uniqueness of bright colors.

Regarding jerseys/sports apparel as 'fashion'... you seem to fail to realize that casual-wear can be the epitome of fashion, for that style. For instance, socks and sandles, even considering it 'casual', is a no go for almost any logical person in America. The fact it's not 'formal' doesn't mean it's okay. There's reams of 'People of Walmart' that show just because they're not dressed formally that there still isn't some sort of unspoken rules about casual attire, both design and color.

True, most Americans have accepted sports apparel, and jerseys especially, as acceptable to wear as casual. That doesn't take away from the fact that there's various KINDS that aren't generally going to be seen in public.

You're less likely to see a modern Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey in public than the older red/pewter jerseys since the 90s. There's a reason. And teams seem to be tonedeaf on that reason when they come up with some of these very garrish designs for jerseys. If sports is a business, and every business is out to maximize profits, why would you hamstring one of your best money-making ventures, jerseys?

The NBA has learned that fans don't want to wear tank tops and wearing them over a t-shirt looks bad. So, the advent of the sleeved jersey came into vogue. Not because they needed to, but because the fans wouldn't buy sleeved jerseys if not for the players actually wearing them, even limited, on the court.

Today, everything is a dollar figure. A poorly designed jersey is leaving money on the table.

There's stylish casual wear, ie. looking good but not dressy, and there's wearing jerseys. Jerseys are far more casual. Jerseys aren't worn to impress. If you're going to a nephew's backyard graduation party, you might want to look good in shorts and a polo shirt, but you're probably not going to wear a jersey to such an event.

I agree with the rest of your post, but I think your argument is mis-categorized. The Buccaneers' new jerseys don't sell because 1) they're horrific; and 2) the team is awful. It's fundamentally a horribly designed jersey, we agree on that. but that has nothing to do with the color. An orange jersey can still be well designed. The '80s Broncos looked as classy as any football team and they wore orange. Certain colors might be garish when worn as a primary, but none would be when worn as an accent. So hypothetically eliminating the blue from the Dolphins jersey and adding a thick orange outline wouldn't make the jersey look clownish, and it certainly shouldn't put the jersey over the top where people feel ridiculous wearing them in public.

[Gothamite]

You're less likely to see a modern Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey in public than the older red/pewter jerseys since the 90s. There's a reason. And teams seem to be tonedeaf on that reason when they come up with some of these very garrish designs for jerseys.

Do you really think the new Buccaneers jerseys were designed with anything other than merchandise sales in mind?

We can debate whether their attempt was successful (although absent sales figures we can't speak with any authority), but the intent seems clear. Something new and flashy to boost sagging jersey sales.