infrared41's Best and Worst - NFL Week 9

[UnclearInitial]

While their uniforms may need a little refining/updating, I provide you the best argument for the Panthers' uniforms, as described in a progression of pictures in games against their 1995 expansion bretheren, the Jacksonville Jaguars:

One of these teams has stuck to virtually the same look their entire existence, while the other has changed in order to keep up with trends and ultimately destroying their identity.

I'll gladly take the Panthers' look, dated and imperfect as it may be, than to gradually chip away at a team's identity like the Jaguars have.

(They seem to avoid wearing teal like the plague...What the hell, Jaguars?!)

To make this more visually jarring, and because I think the Jaguars' set was perfect in 1995 and got worse with Nike, I submit the 1995 HOF game.

Looking at that game, I'm sure that most traditionalists slammed the panthers uniform compared to the Jaguars. Tapered pants stripes, tapered helmet stripes, unconventional socks arrangement. Meanwhile the Jaguars had a more conventional look.

Funny how that turned out

[infrared41]

Looking at that game, I'm sure that most traditionalists slammed the panthers uniform compared to the Jaguars. Tapered pants stripes, tapered helmet stripes, unconventional socks arrangement. Meanwhile the Jaguars had a more conventional look.

Funny how that turned out

I can't speak for all traditionalists, but I liked the Panthers look better back then. The Jags looked OK too.

[C-Squared]

I always felt that Jacksonville nailed it around 99/00 when they ditched the block letters, which felt too traditional for the progressive color scheme, for a more stylized set of numbers:

[TheOldRoman]

See, I think the great original font helped make that look. Not only did it "tie down" a bold color scheme a little, but it was a unique block that no other teams have used recently (outside of half the '49ers using it in 1996). More teams should use unique block fonts instead of coming up with contrived crap. I'm looking at you, Cincinnati Reds.

Also, I think the pants stripes were much better on the original set. Nike thickened the black on these, just like they did on Ohio States' pants. And in both cases, it hurt the overall look.

[DustDevil61]

My biggest gripe with the Panthers uniform is the presence of white pants. Silver/white/white has never looked good on any football uniform. They need to alternate between silver pants and black pants on the road.

Some changes to make the Panthers uniforms better IMO would be:

-Replace current helmet stripes with one that matches the pants.

-Ditch the white pants

-Ditch the logos on the pants.

-Wear blue socks and silver pants with home and road jerseys.

I may be in the minority, but I really feel Carolina's basic set (silver-black-silver and silver-white-white) is just about perfect as is. In fact, they're in my top five NFL sets and have been for many years. I don't want to see much done at all to them for a very long time.

The helmet stripes get a lot of flak, but they've never really bothered me. For one, even though I know they're not claw marks, the stripes have that sort of feel to them, which fit the identity. And regarding the stripe color, the stripes are a little thinner at the start before they taper. They being black helps them to be a bit bolder to make up for the width; if you invert the colors, they're just not going to stand out very well, I think. I also suppose they've been around so long that, in my eyes, they just look right. Granted they probably look like they "shouldn't" work, but to me, they do.

I also think - in regards to the set as a whole - if you tried to change the helmet and/or pants stripes to something more traditional (meaning straighter rather than tapered), it would take away from what I feel to be the set's core strength: a traditional base design that is modernized to fit a swift, "slashy" cat theme. It appears to, from a distance, already look like a rather traditional uniform, yet up close you can see modern elements which set Carolina apart. I wouldn't really want them to lose that, because I feel they've done it so well. And it's been thier look for 20 years. Any further change or even a rebrand, I feel, would be merely change for changes sake rather than an improvement.

Agreed in large part--I wouldn't be inclined to change much with the Panthers, but I've long felt that either dropping the white pants and going with silver pretty much the whole time (save for the rare appearance of black pants) or dropping silver from the color scheme entirely (and hence going with a white helmet) would unclutter/freshen up the Panthers look while making minimal changes.

FinsUp1214 pointed out what I like best about the Panthers' look--it's mostly traditional but with some modern elements. Maybe the helmet stripes can be straightened a little bit (i.e., less curvy) or a tapering single stripe--like that on the pants--could be used instead, but other than that I've liked that look and it does give a "slashy" cat feel without going overboard.

IF something more drastic was done or alternate helmets were allowed, I wouldn't mind seeing a Black Helmet/Blue Jersey/Black Pants/Blue Socks main look, swapping out the blue jersey for white on the road with an all-black alternate (maybe throw in white or silver pants for every-now-and-again purposes).

While he may have said and done some reprehensible things otherwise, it's hard not to admire Jerry Richardson telling the Nike to, ahem, keep pounding sand*...not unlike George Steinbrenner.

*I'm convinced that Nike proposed more drastic changes to the Panthers' uniforms around the time the logo was updated.

[Around the Horn]

My list:

Best

Raiders-Steelers (obvious No.1)

Rams-Vikings

Packers-Panthers

Eagles-Cowboys

Thanks for ruining a great matchup

Buccaneers-Giants

Red jersey vs red accents looks awful Plus the Bucs jerseys look bad to begin with...

Jets-Jaguars

Jaguars wearing black pants ruined this one for me...

Titans-Saints

Would have made my best list if it wasn't for the Titans pants

The Titans and Jaguars games are in the same category for me

(the road teams' pants spoiled the home teams' best look)

[ARTnSocal]

.

C'mon ... admit it ... with the exception of the Cleveland Browns new helmets, their next remake can't possibly come soon enough.

It's so very tragic for this to happen to such a historic and traditional franchise with among one of the most dedicated fan bases.

I mean geez,... those orange jersey numbers and nobs on their brown jerseys, along with those word-marks on their pants, and the word-mark being so large on the jersey makes me wanna barf.

Thank goodness Paul Brown isn't still alive to of seen them.