Former Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Boomer Esiason Advocates For New Uniforms

[OnWis97]

I remember watching a piece on the tiger-stripe look either at half-time or pre-game in the early 1980s (and my dad saying he didn't like it).  My memory is someone not using the term "place-holder" but saying something like "we didn't want to do something this unique and out of the box as an expansion team that hadn't accomplished anything."  That's kinda funny given that this is exactly what expansion teams try to do now. Actually the most recent NFL teams (Panthers, Jags, Texans, Ravens) didn't do anything earth-shattering, but none went with one-color numbers and helmets that were that boring.

 

Think about the truly crazy things teams have done.  The D-backs scales, the Astros rainbow guts, the two-tone Jags helmet, the White Sox big collars, the A's everything from 1970 to 1986, the Pirates pill-box caps. None of these lasted nearly as long as the crazy Bengals helmet. Why?  It's unique without being gaudy. The other stuff was eventually laughed out of the room (White Sox), or became outdated and contrary to the tradition of the sports (Astros).  But the Bengals helmet, after the initial shock, fit in perfectly.

[-Akronite-]

40 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

But the Bengals helmet, after the initial shock, fit in perfectly.

 

Was there an initial shock? Or was it accepted within its era for riding that line between gaudy and unique? Honest question as I have no idea about the reception at the time.

[OnWis97]

26 minutes ago, -Akronite- said:

 

Was there an initial shock? Or was it accepted within its era for riding that line between gaudy and unique? Honest question as I have no idea about the reception at the time.

I was pretty young, and there was no internet, but I think it was kind of polarizing, as opposed to almost unanimous hatred that the Jags helmet received.  But both were really against the grain.  The NFL pre-game piece was talking about just how unique it was and how some people didn't like it.

 

I actually think if this message board had been around it would have been a very split topic. But by now, it's been around so long (most here probably don't remember a time before it) that it's generally accepted as not too out there..

[BBTV]

I imagine if this board was around back then, many people - possibly including me - would have called them clown suits, unprofessional, and that they're just wearing tiger halloween costumes.

 

Most of us have the benefit of only knowing these since they were in use before we were born, so I think that might help form our opinions that these are normal and professional.

 

I'm curious how we would have reacted had the Jaguars come out with the same uniform, with with jaguar spots everywhere the Bengals had tiger stripes.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

33 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said:

I imagine if this board was around back then, many people - possibly including me - would have called them clown suits, unprofessional, and that they're just wearing tiger halloween costumes.

 

Most of us have the benefit of only knowing these since they were in use before we were born, so I think that might help form our opinions that these are normal and professional.

 

I'm curious how we would have reacted had the Jaguars come out with the same uniform, with with jaguar spots everywhere the Bengals had tiger stripes.

 

In general, the guiding force behind critique of most elements of culture is "how does this compare to the world when I was 15?". While I fundamentally think tiger stripes are cooler than leopard spots, you're right to say that it's the same damn thing. And, really, not that far removed from the Eagles wings or the Rams horns.

 

When I was a young guy, the Bengals were my favorite team. Why? Because they had a cool helmet that was SO far beyond what the rest of the NFL was doing. (Also, their quarterback's name was Boomer was that similarly cool.)

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

5 hours ago, Sport said:

It's actually a middle finger to the Cleveland Browns. They looked like Browns South for their first 13 something seasons because Paul Brown wanted to stick it to his old team and was following the model from when he founded the Browns.

 

That's a perfectly good reason for the uniform to exist.  And now that the Browns have abandoned their traditional aesthetic, the Bengals would own the look.

 

5 hours ago, Sport said:

When they started wearing the tiger stripes is when they became their own franchise.

 

The tiger stripes are good on the helmet; I have already mentioned that the tiger-stripe helmet could be worn with the traditional uniform.

The uniform itself (minus the bad helmet) is beautifully laid out. 

 

    

 

 

That's a m-f-ing football uniform.  Look at those gorgeous stripes, on the sleeves, pants, and socks. The black-orange-black stripe on the pants looks great next to the orange-black-orange stripe on the socks.  And please do not even try take up the absurd position that the silly tiger-stripe piping on the pants of the latter-day uniform looks good, as compared to this classic arrangment.

See, this is why people who hate bad design hate it so much — because, once a rotten design is around for a while, the kiddies don't know any better.  Hence the goofballs who think that monochrome uniforms are good.  Bad design is a form of pollution, even moreso when it becomes entrenched and when it perversely attracts defenders.

 

[Hat Boy]

3 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

See, this is why people who hate bad design hate it so much — because, once a rotten design is around for a while, the kiddies don't know any better.  Hence the goofballs who think that monochrome uniforms are good.  Bad design is a form of pollution, even moreso when it becomes entrenched and when it perversely attracts defenders.

 

They laughed at me at uniform design school.  Said my uniforms were too traditional an aesthetic--but I'll show them.  I'll show them all!!!

[JustForFun]

23 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Let's have some uniforms from the early Ken Anderson era, which was the last time the Bengals dressed like the Browns.

 

I was actually alive and living in the Cincinnati area when the Bengals made the change from being Browns imitators to what was pretty clearly a shocking, never-seen-before style. Of course, I was a kid, and us kids LOVED it. Adult opinion was pretty split but I'd say a majority of football fans in the area seemed happy the Bengals were finally getting their own identity. Of course, just a couple of years after the change, the Bengals went to the Super Bowl, and after that I never heard anyone say anything bad about the uniforms ever again.

[neo_prankster]

Bengals did have a pretty decent look when the tiger stripes were used more moderately.

Bengal tigers on the sleeves were nice, but the road look was better with orange socks.

[BBTV]

5 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

See, this is why people who hate bad design hate it so much — because, once a rotten design is around for a while, the kiddies don't know any better.  Hence the goofballs who think that monochrome uniforms are good.  Bad design is a form of pollution, even moreso when it becomes entrenched and when it perversely attracts defenders.

 

 

So I'm a goofball, and you're an expert on design?  I have a few words I'd like to say back, but they may be phrases that became popular within the last 30 years, so I'm sure you'd fire back that I don't know the real English or something like that.  I'm 100% convinced that you're a contrarian troll.

[8BW14]

I can’t imagine them actually doing it, but if the Bengals were to change up the stripes on the helmet, I’d like to see something inspired by this prototype helmet:

 

I really like the simplicity of the stripes. They get the point across without being too literal. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

11 minutes ago, 8BW14 said:

I can’t imagine them actually doing it, but if the Bengals were to change up the stripes on the helmet, I’d like to see something inspired by this prototype helmet:

 

I really like the simplicity of the stripes. They get the point across without being too literal. 

 

I could see that, but I think they went more literal and it's actually an improvement on the idea of stripes. If they were going to go for something bold and different, I'm glad they went the whole way. (well, until the Reebok redesigns where they felt the need to incorporate a white tiger belly in their uniform design; too far.)

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

30 minutes ago, neo_prankster said:

Bengals did have a pretty decent look when the tiger stripes were used more moderately.

 

 

That's true.  Give them a normal stripe on the pants, and I wouldn't complain about this set.

 

21 minutes ago, 8BW14 said:

I can’t imagine them actually doing it, but if the Bengals were to change up the stripes on the helmet, I’d like to see something inspired by this prototype helmet:

 

I like the naturalistic stripes of the current helmet more than this.  This looks less like tiger stripes than like a pumpkin with watermelon-like slices taken out of it.

 

[IceCap]

13 hours ago, Sport said:

 

That's beautiful. 

 

7 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

That's a perfectly good reason for the uniform to exist.  And now that the Browns have abandoned their traditional aesthetic, the Bengals would own the look.

Am I missing something? The Browns just recently reclaimed their traditional aesthetic. 

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

1 hour ago, IceCap said:

8 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

And now that the Browns have abandoned their traditional aesthetic, the Bengals would own the look.

Am I missing something? The Browns just recently reclaimed their traditional aesthetic. 

 

Oops! It was I who was missing something. Sorry.

 

Lately there's been too much damn work (like twelve-hour days), and not enough time to do pleasant things, such as reading this board. 

[j'villejags]

 

On 5/26/2020 at 7:46 PM, Buc said:

Quite correct, sir. When in primary guise, OK State is my favorite look in the game right now.

 

Yes I can.

 

I've always been particularly drawn to "complexity within the confines of simplicity"--that actually was my design credo for the longest time when I was still a young pup in the game (and I still do use it when necessary). Most would call OK State the "Ed Hardy" of CFB, and I wouldn't disagree--but that special paisley pattern of theirs is just too good. It works best, like most highly-detailed elements, in small doses, such as OK State's usage of it in their collar and cuff trim. While I do like their black helmets by themselves, black lids ain't "Oklahoma State" to me; that's Oregon State (insofar as black and orange are concerned). Speaking of that pattern, The Swoosh shows considerable constraint by not splattering that pattern all up in their numbers. And speaking of those numbers...i get on Nike quite a bit for some of their more hackneyed number font hackjobs, but this one just works. It's obviously a custom chop job, but the numbers actually fit together and give off that "cowboy-esque" vibe without looking corny or out of sorts. I could do without the nicknames on the leg, but it doesn't really hurt the look too much in my eyes. Plus, they use just the right amount of silver...in primary guise.  So yeah, so long as they keep it to their primary orange and white (with black trim), OK State is tops for me in CFB. (By the way, did I mention that genius Marshall's badge alternate logo of theirs?)

 

Now, I wouldn't expect any of that to make its way to Cincinnati...they have their own thing with the tiger stripes; best for them not to overdo it. If the overall vibe of usage of orange and black comes out looking something like OK State--or their Corey Dillon/Willie Anderson years (and don't y'all forget about him), I think they'll be working with something.

 

I'm an Oklahoma State alum and thought I'd chime in. Forgive the lengthy post. 

 

Agree with you on the marshal badge. It is my all-time favorite logo of ours and hope it sticks long-term. Some of our fans don't care for it for whatever reason, and I'm afraid they might already be phasing it out as I believe it was removed from our latest style guide. For anyone who may not know, the badge is a nod to our mascot, Pistol Pete (Frank Eaton), who once served as a U.S. Marshal. Frank learned how to shoot at a young age and became the best marksman on the planet so he could hunt down and kill the men who killed his father. And he did. He killed them all, one by one. Crazy. I like our oSu logo as well. Many may not know this either, but the oSu logo Barry Sanders made famous is meant to be an actual brand, as in cattle brand. The newer oSu version is as well, but it is not as obvious. 

 

On 5/26/2020 at 1:27 PM, -Akronite- said:

Can you expand on this? I like their traditional look here:

 

But otherwise OK State comes off to me as very collegiate and Nike-y, rather than NFL worthy. They do a lot of monochrome with alternate colors, and use a lot of dumb alt logos and ugly sublimations. I feel like applying their design principles to the Bengals would just be a Falcons level debacle, but that might be an unfair assumption. Which looks do you love from OK State that could inspire the Bengals?

 

I'd say our uniforms can be reliant on wearing the proper combinations, and we look our best when we don't overthink it. Some of our sets are phenomenal. Others, I can see where you're coming from. The equipment managers are always trying to throw out "something new" all the time, so they are frequently making odd choices in regards to the overall combinations, and specifically the logos, stripes, shell color, and facemask being used on the helmets. The paisley branding is one thing in particular that we have overused. It is clever on the collar where a cowboy keeps his bandana. Having it on the helmet is overkill to me and it will quickly wear out its welcome. Especially paired with that lame barbed wire helmet stripe. 

 

Ok, "on to Cincinnati" (kind of). I wonder if Nike would try to add a neutral gray as they did with us. I know gray for gray sake is considered a faux pas around here, but I think adding it really worked wonders for our palette. I think it helped tone down the halloween vibes we would give off at times, and I like to think of it as a gunmetal gray to fit the Pistol Pete moniker. The orange looks more vibrant as well when it's not competing against white.

 

Of course gray doesn't make much sense for them, hence GFGS, but I could see it used as an excuse for Nike to differentiate their color palette with Cleveland a bit more. Black/orange/gray makes a nice palette in my (biased) eyes. 

 

 

[Sport]

Getting too literal about what a tiger looks like is how they ended up with the white side panels in 2004 so I don't think gray is necessary, but you could make a good argument that gray would fit with the Bengals. There's some gray on this dude. 

 

 

you could even call it "Tiger Gray" and the Nike Hard-Ons would hoot and holler. 

[IceCap]

8 hours ago, Sport said:

you could even call "Tiger Gray" and the Nike Hard-Ons would hoot and holler. 

Can it be the same shade as "Wolf Grey" for extra irony? 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Tigers are so cool.

 

EDIT: Proof -

 

 

[IceCap]

12 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Tigers are so cool.