infrared41's Best and Worst - NFL Week 15

[infrared41]

Running late this week so I'll dispense with the pleasantries and get right to the point. Put 60 seconds on the clock and let's start the holiday lightning round. As always, these lists are just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Best:

1. Packers - Raiders: Two of the very best uniforms in the NFL. This match up looked great in Super Bowl II and it still looks great today. This one is in the running for game of the year. It's a shame the rain took some of the shine off such a great looking match up. Every game should look this good.

2. Buffalo - Washington: Nice move by the Bills to go all white for this game. Washington's uniforms...carry, I guess, the colors in this match up. If the Bills had gone with blue pants, I think it would have thrown off the color balance. Great looking game.

3. Panthers - Giants: The Giants home uniforms are one of my favorites. The Panthers in all white looks pretty good too.

4. Jets - Cowboys: Two uniforms that a lot of people have a lot of problems with. I'm not one of those people.

5. Bears - Vikings: This match up is a good example of why I think all white works better than white over color in some games. Purple is the dominant color here. Too much navy blue throws off the balance - if that makes any sense - but it's still a pretty good looking game.

6. Texans - Colts: Another example of how the Texans in all white would have been a better color balance. There's a little too much blue in this one, but it's still a good looking game. Great helmet match up.

Thanks for ruining a great match up: This weeks' winners - the Baltimore Ravens. My first thought when I saw this game was "why are the Ravens wearing the Steelers pants?" Not a good look for the Ravens. I think gold pants could work, just not that shade of gold. If Baltimore had gone with the white pants, this one makes the best list.

Worst:

1. Buccaneers - Rams: If a football game broke out on a diner table, this is what it would look like. Ketchup vs. mustard in the condiment bowl. Anyway, the Rams jerseys would look great with a normal uniform. Thankfully, we're done with the color rush games until next season.

2. Cardinals - Eagles: PYP vs. all black. Welcome to 1998. Yes, I realize the Cardinals uniforms and the Eagles all black both debuted well after 1998 but that won't stop someone from pointing out that the Cardinals and Eagles weren't wearing these in 1998. For everyone else, you get what I meant with the reference.

That's it for this week. Thanks for dropping by. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season, etc.

[ConcreteCharlie]

I would probably flip-flop 3 and 4, but a pretty good list from you as always. To add my thoughts..

1. The Ravens looked good out there to me. Ditching yoga pants is a good thing, but that mustard isn't really their style. Black pants are perfect for them, but just put on some gosh darn white socks.

2. Sorry for always beating this like a dead horse, but I think grass and dirt stains make matchups like that even better. Wish there was more of it.

3. Colts-Texans was notably good to me too

4. I thought Eagles-Cardinals was better looking less ugly than Browns-Seahawks

Merry Christmas Gentlemen

[infrared41]

I would probably flip-flop 3 and 4, but a pretty good list from you as always. To add my thoughts..

1. The Ravens looked good out there to me. Ditching yoga pants is a good thing, but that mustard isn't really their style. Black pants are perfect for them, but just put on some gosh darn white socks.

2. Sorry for always beating this like a dead horse, but I think grass and dirt stains make matchups like that even better. Wish there was more of it.

3. Colts-Texans was notably good to me too

4. I thought Eagles-Cardinals was better looking less ugly than Browns-Seahawks

Merry Christmas Gentlemen

Oops, I completely forgot about Colts - Texans. Had a picture ready and everything. As I was doing the lists I kept thinking I was forgetting something. I'll add that game tomorrow.

I actually like the Browns all white combo. It's probably my favorite of the bunch, either that one or the orange over white. I have to admit that certain Browns combos are growing on me. Who knows? The right Browns combo against the Chiefs or Steelers in the next two weeks just might find it's way to the best list. Hell, the Bengals and Seahawks have both made the best list this season so at this point anything is possible.

[Old School Fool]

I know I'm a Raiders fan but the game against the Packers was really excellent looking matchup wise. It was so old school, down to the rain and a grass surface.

Also, I really liked the St. Louis Rams color rush. I'm not going to apologize for that. It was a healthy shade of yellow, the kind that reminded me of the Lakers, the kind that doesn't hurt my eyes and I am totally down with that shade being used for monochrome.

[Sport]

Bengals should've worn Super Bowl 23 throwbacks against Frisco (Hi ICS!). They can make it happen with the one helmet rule and it'd be a better alternate than their orange jersey. I guarantee they'd sell better too.

[fouhy12]

I'd switch 3 and 5 on the best list and 1 and 2 on the worst list, but other than that I agree.

[BrandMooreArt]

still not a fan of the Power Ranger games, but i do like the Rams yellow jersey. i'd love to see them make that their primary jersey. ii've been saying for years they need to embrace yellow to liven up that dark dome of theirs.

they shouldn't have done this to the mid-field logo but just look how much the yellow endzones light up the dome. then imagine the Rams in yellow and the primary color in the stands being yellow, and the scoreboard and digital banners being yellow. it wouldn't be a gloomy cave then

[ltjets21]

The return of this goofy facemask coupled with the mono navy is certainly the worst of week 16.

[BBTV]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

[ConcreteCharlie]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

I love that mask!

I think the last QB to wear that cage was Byron Leftwich

[infrared41]

Just my opinion, but I think that facemask is one of the best. It's a great QB mask. Peyton Manning looked a lot better with it than that ugly-assed thing he wears now...

I also like the more squared version of it that Joe Namath wore. (I think Namath may have been the first QB to go with that type of facemask.)

And just because we talk about this type of stuff around here Chargers QB Dan Fouts* once wore a face mask like the one Franco Harris is wearing in this pic to protect a broken nose. I couldn't find a pick of Fouts wearing it.

*It seems kind of silly to refer to Fouts as "Chargers QB", but I'm not entirely sure the young folk know Dan Fouts.

[BrandMooreArt]

Just my opinion, but I think that facemask is one of the best. It's a great QB mask. Peyton Manning looked a lot better with it than that ugly-assed thing he wears now...

i feel the exact opposite, lol.

for what it's worth, Manning switched to the Speed Flex this year. it seems they made a custom mask for Manning's Flex that resembles the one from the Revolution.

[ConcreteCharlie]

And just because we talk about this type of stuff around here Chargers QB Dan Fouts* once wore a face mask like the one Franco Harris is wearing in this pic to protect a broken nose. I couldn't find a pick of Fouts wearing it.

*It seems kind of silly to refer to Fouts as "Chargers QB", but I'm not entirely sure the young folk know Dan Fouts.

Ken Stabler wore a mask that originally had the vertical nose bar, but he had it cut off with a hack saw. True story.

[ltjets21]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

I love that mask!

I think the last QB to wear that cage was Byron Leftwich

Yeah but it should be left in the past because it looks weird. Bigger masks should only be used by lineman and maybe linebackers in my opinion... Thurman Thomas wore this mask but I don't think anyone wants to see Adrian Peterson wear it because its too old school

[BrandMooreArt]

since we're getting into the topi of facemasks, heres some more NFL trivia for you. the first face protection mask used in the NFL was designed by Rams RB Fred Gehrke, who also designed the Ram helmet horn itself. during the war, he worked at Northrop designing airplanes and had those guys make a metal mask over a plaster molding of his face. then if i recall correclty, it was his grandfather who patched the leather over it

[infrared41]

And just because we talk about this type of stuff around here Chargers QB Dan Fouts* once wore a face mask like the one Franco Harris is wearing in this pic to protect a broken nose. I couldn't find a pick of Fouts wearing it.

*It seems kind of silly to refer to Fouts as "Chargers QB", but I'm not entirely sure the young folk know Dan Fouts.

Ken Stabler wore a mask that originally had the vertical nose bar, but he had it cut off with a hack saw. True story.

Namath wore one similar to Stabler's facemask. No idea if he did the hacksaw bit. It looks like the mask Namath is wearing was designed that way. If memory serves, that style of mask wasn't uncommon back then.

Namath also wore a face mask I remember announcers referring to as the "cow catcher." It was one ugly face mask. Anyway, I think the cow catcher mask was actually from the late 50's early 60's.

[ConcreteCharlie]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

I love that mask!

I think the last QB to wear that cage was Byron Leftwich

Yeah but it should be left in the past because it looks weird. Bigger masks should only be used by lineman and maybe linebackers in my opinion... Thurman Thomas wore this mask but I don't think anyone wants to see Adrian Peterson wear it because its too old school

Id like to see it

[oldschoolvikings]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

I love that mask!

I think the last QB to wear that cage was Byron Leftwich

Yeah but it should be left in the past because it looks weird. Bigger masks should only be used by lineman and maybe linebackers in my opinion... Thurman Thomas wore this mask but I don't think anyone wants to see Adrian Peterson wear it because its too old school

Id like to see it

Me too.

[C-Squared]

Love where this thread ended up... I know there are some exceptions, but that facemask is - to me, at least - the quintessential classic pocket passer facemask of the 90s... Bledsoe, Brad Johnson, Marino, Beuerlein, Aikman later in his career, etc

[infrared41]

Goofy facemask? Isn't that one of the two classic quarterback facemasks just with a second bar on the top?

I love that mask!

I think the last QB to wear that cage was Byron Leftwich

Yeah but it should be left in the past because it looks weird. Bigger masks should only be used by lineman and maybe linebackers in my opinion... Thurman Thomas wore this mask but I don't think anyone wants to see Adrian Peterson wear it because its too old school

Id like to see it

Me too.

Add me to the list. While we're at it, I'd like to see this face mask make a comeback.