Cleveland Browns Brown Uniform

[Elfman]

The Cleveland Browns are wearing new uniforms in 2015 and the brown jerseys/orange numeral combos have the coaching staff miffed, according toESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi.

“I’m told the coaches themselves were not happy with the orange numerals when they reviewed the coaches tape of the Tampa game. They had trouble identifying players. It’s hard to believe that after two years of research on all the uniform combinations that Nike could not detect a problem with that particular orange on brown combo. From what I recall, the uniforms can’t be changed for five years. They can just refrain from wearing the orange-on-brown.”

If the Browns don’t wear the brown jersey with the orange numerals, the franchise is setting itself for a huge backlash. No data to back this up yet, but my “man on the street” observation of the Ohio State scrimmage revealed a majority of the fans wearing these jerseys.

Grossi raises a great point. The uniforms were supposedly heavily researched, as actors wore the uniforms and were recorded, so Nike and Browns executives could get an idea of what the uniforms looked like on television.

If it’s true, and the Dawg Pound sees less of the of the brown jersey’s, it will be another embarrassing black eye for Jimmy Haslam and the team’s PR department.

Grossi’s comments come after the celebrated news that Joe Haden’s jersey was the top seller among all NFL players in the weeks after the NFL Draft.

Cleveland still has several different combinations to try out in the regular season, and most Browns fans would agree, their pairings during the preseason were pretty boring.

For what it’s worth, I thought the white on whites in the preseason opener were a good look.

[Red Wine Pirate]

Isn't Grossi the guy that got fired from the Cleveland's main newspaper? I have heard that he is always taking shots at the Browns. That being said, I take what he says with a grain of salt. I don't hate the Browns new uniforms and I watched my Bucs play them in the preseason and I didn't have any trouble picking out the players/numbers on the Browns' team. Yes it is a little more subdued due to it being a darker color against an even darker jersey, but they were still readable. My only issue with the Browns uniforms are the pants. But to be fair, "BROWNS" script is one of their logos and having it down the length of the pants is kinda equivalent to the Chargers lightning bolts down thier pants since both are their respective team's logo.

I still wish the Browns went with a jersey like this (minus the gold trim)

[MJWalker45]

I'd agree that I have problems following numbers when the Browns wear their brown jerseys. Swapping the orange and white would help this a lot. They could even keep the Browns wordmark in orange as I think it would look better than plain white letters.

[BBTV]

Gold - actually bronze - would have been a fantastic accent color. Even if Nike made it look more tan.

Also equating the BROWNS to the Lightning bolts just doesn't work.

[AgentColon2]

They should have a pant stripe comprised of many helmets.

[Red Wine Pirate]

Gold - actually bronze - would have been a fantastic accent color. Even if Nike made it look more tan.

Also equating the BROWNS to the Lightning bolts just doesn't work.

Actually now that you mentioned it, bronze is a really good match with brown. I do think the lightning bolt and Browns script does work because they both act as logos down the pants. But I by no means 100% support the Browns pants. I'm just pulling the positive (if any) from them.

[BrandMooreArt]

it's interesting, i never thought the numbers would not be legible even from the All 22 vantage point. im not sure if this is just a case of the coaches over reacting or if there is a legitimate issue, but either way this doesn't fall on the Browns at all - this is Nike's doing and responsibility.

[TheOldRoman]

it's interesting, i never thought the numbers would not be legible even from the All 22 vantage point. im not sure if this is just a case of the coaches over reacting or if there is a legitimate issue, but either way this doesn't fall on the Browns at all - this is Nike's doing and responsibility.

If we can't blame Nike for the garbage uniforms they give teams (be it trash like the Bucs/Jags or inexcusable half-assery like the Jets' triple green jerseys), we can't blame them for this. Their job is to throw crap at a wall and let the teams turn them down.

But really, the Browns are to blame and so is the NFL. The NFL has veto power over uniform design, and legibility is the primary thing they're concerned with. The Browns' orange numbers got the okay by Nike, the Browns and the NFL. They're all in this failure together.

[IceCap]

Isn't Grossi the guy that got fired from the Cleveland's main newspaper? I have heard that he is always taking shots at the Browns. That being said, I take what he says with a grain of salt.

Don't shoot the messenger just because a look you played up falls short when it comes to one of the main functions of a uniform. More than a few users suggested that visibility could be an issue when the uniform was unveiled. Many more, myself included, dismissed that because it's the era of HD tv. Turns out they were right. It's a problem. Nike, the team, and the NFL collectively screwed up. That it's a mistake the team has made before is just gravy. Leave it to the Browns to pull that one off.

[oldschoolvikings]

Isn't Grossi the guy that got fired from the Cleveland's main newspaper? I have heard that he is always taking shots at the Browns. That being said, I take what he says with a grain of salt.

Don't shoot the messenger just because a look you played up falls short when it comes to one of the main functions of a uniform. More than a few users suggested that visibility could be an issue when the uniform was unveiled. Many more, myself included, dismissed that because it's the era of HD tv. Turns out they were right. It's a problem. Nike, the team, and the NFL collectively screwed up. That it's a mistake the team has made before is just gravy. Leave it to the Browns to pull that one off.

Exactly. Since my first thought upon seeing the numbers was how difficult it was to read them, I have absolutely no trouble believing the coaches are in the same boat.

The writer is just taking shots at the Browns? Really? That's easier for you believe than redish-orange numbers without full trim don't show up well on a brown jersey? Oh, OK.

[hawk36]

Do the Bears' coaches have the same issue?

[IceCap]

The Bears wear those throwbacks one, twice a season. Not the same thing as a look meant to be worn for half the season.

[The_Admiral]

Those uniforms suck too, and if you were paying attention the last two years, the Bears coaches demonstrated issues far beyond reading numbers.

[StardustRedding]

I heard from a source that the browns are going to break out the orange jerseys this Sunday vs the Jets

[Gothamite]

Do the Bears' coaches have the same issue?

I can totally see those Bears unis being an issue, but if anything the Browns' uniforms should be worse - the Browns break up their colors with white highlights. That means, on quick glance, the eye will pick out the white rather than the orange.

[oldschoolvikings]

Do the Bears' coaches have the same issue?

I can totally see those Bears unis being an issue, but if anything the Browns' uniforms should be worse - the Browns break up their colors with white highlights. That means, on quick glance, the eye will pick out the white rather than the orange.

Plus blue and orange are color compliments... meaning they are opposite on a color wheel...

There is actually a very high contrast between those colors... your eye will naturally try to separate them.

Orange and brown, on the other hand...

...are separated mostly by only saturation. They are more or less only a difference of value. You can usually make a pretty decent brown by mixing black into orange. So, your eye just doesn't make that kind of contrast jump.

Basic color theory. I'm sure Nike's designers had to take that course at some point.

[IceCap]

You would think so, but I've seen plenty to suggest they haven't.

[WavePunter]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. White numbers on colored jerseys are a basic rule of thumb.. Very few exceptions.. Stick to it unless you're a uniform magician

[colinturner95]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. White numbers on colored jerseys are a basic rule of thumb.. Very few exceptions.. Stick to it unless you're a uniform magician

Black and yellow works to an extent.

[Gothamite]

Yellow, gold, metallic gold and metallic silver can all work given a sufficianrly contrasting background. It's a crapshoot beyond those.

I think the Packers' blue and gold works very well.