NFL 2022 Changes

[MJWalker45]

10 hours ago, Cujo said:

 

But it's totally OK for Cleveland to get an expansion team and copy every-single-thing about the old Cleveland team.

The league said they're the original Browns, let it go. 

[Indigo]

1 minute ago, MJWalker45 said:

The league said they're the original Browns, let it go. 

Someone needs to buy Cujo the a copy of the Official Book of NFL History.

[Carolingian Steamroller]

20 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

The league said they're the original Browns, let it go. 

 

The deal that Model struck to move his team to Baltimore stipulated that everything Browns, the history/name/logos/uniforms, stayed in Cleveland untouched and untainted.

 

So technically, the Ravens are an expansion team and the Browns are the original club with a year or two missing.

[DCarp1231]

In reference to the Browns-Ravens

 

[Bathysphere]

The Houston Oilers are DEAD. The Tennessee Titans KILLED THEM. And to this day they honor their demise by wearing their tattered skins three weeks out of the year and, I suppose, sweating their blood from their armpits for the remaining weeks. It’s horrible but it is the truth that we are forced to live with. I would be surprised if the O-word has even been uttered in a Texans-operated facility in the last two decades.

[ManillaToad]

6 minutes ago, DCarp1231 said:

In reference to the Browns-Ravens

 

 

It isn't even Ship of Theseus, since Cleveland kept the components that make a franchise a franchise. What happened with the move is more like if the crew all got sent over to Ship B while Theseus sat in a harbor for three years, and 25 years later there are people demanding you recognize Ship B as the real Ship of Theseus

[sky1324]

Never understood the focus people have on this. What's most important is franchise continuity right? The NFL didn't even Hornets the situation and retroactively assign the old Browns' history to the new Browns, they've always been the Browns franchise. A "franchise" is nothing more than the license to operate a team in a certain city and when Art Modell decided to leave Cleveland, he did not take his franchise with him. According to the NFL, Modell was granted a new franchise to operate in Baltimore that was filled with the staff and players of the Cleveland Browns organization. However, the Browns franchise was deactivated for three years before it returned in 1999. Still the same franchise, but with a different organization. So yes, the current Browns are the same franchise as the old Browns.

[PrimalCookie]

15 hours ago, Carolingian Steamroller said:

I'm still a fan of navy overall, but as a 1-2 times a year option? Yeah, that looks great. Bravo, Houston.

[jc...]

I'm all in favor of leaving history with the cities. Johnny Unitas didn't give a crap about Indianapolis. Jim Brown doesn't give a crap about Baltimore. Earl Campbell doesn't give a crap about Nashville. Kurt Warner doesn't give a crap about Los Angeles. 

[Cujo]

2 hours ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

Someone needs to buy Cujo the a copy of the Official Book of NFL History.

 

I don't need a history book. I lived the 90s. I know what really happened with the Browns/Ravens.

 

Not going for a Clevejacking here. Really want to get back to Houston and why folks would throw a fit if they rocked an Oilers color scheme. Just saying: If Cleveland's expansion team can lend from the previous franchise, then so can Houston. 

[BBTV]

The problem I had with the Texans helmet is that the finish on it made it clash against the jerseys.  They're both red, but they're definitely not the same color, if that makes sense.  I think the helmet and jersey each look great on their own, but look awkward when paired.  Maybe a matte finish would work better.

[Bathysphere]

Even if I can accept reality for what it is (reality being how teams choose to handle their histories), there are definitely good reasons why people fixate on this, and they make for a good debate that will probably never be solved. One reason is that the sports franchise as an entity is made up of the people whose performances and decision-making form a timeline that sets the stage for events today.
 

Just as Bert Bell founding the Eagles in 1933 set tipped the first domino that culminated with them winning a Super Bowl in 2017, it was Paul Brown founding the Browns in 1944 that set off the chain of events which led to two Super Bowl championships and an MVP in the last 20 years for the Ravens. You could even say that, more directly, it was the performances and decisions made by the Cleveland Browns players and staff in 1995 that set the stage for the Baltimore Ravens to acquire their foundational Hall of Fame players John Ogden and Ray Lewis in 1996. In that way, one could argue that the Browns history prior to 1996 is part of the Baltimore Ravens history.

 

Another thing that’s hangs people up (ESPECIALLY the type of brain which congregates here) is consistency. While the Ravens are resigned to have no reverence for such players in their “history” as Otto Graham or Lou Groza, the Titans continue to hold players who only wore Oilers jerseys in high regard, and not to mention some of their best players, Steve McNair and Eddie George, can be seen in highlights wearing both Titans and Oilers jerseys. And on top of that, the Ravens keep a Colts player in their ring of honor despite him being irrelevant to the “history” of the team that takes the field in Baltimore today. It’s enough to make your head spin and your brain to demand answers, rules, uniformity, such.

 

But the real answer that everyone will have to live with is that these things just work on a team by team basis as their prior history recommends, and none of the decisions made by one team can or should affect how another handles their history. I mean, it would have been a shame if the Raiders left their brand and history in Oakland a few years ago just because they had to leave. Instead, they exist as a historical franchise and brand that have persisted by setting up shop in (or “Raiding”) different cities as needed over time. For the Browns/Ravens, the team had to move (at least if you listen to what Modell says. I wasn’t around for that and don’t know all the history), though it was apparent that you cant have the Browns without Cleveland due to their historical significance there, so it was decided that the history of Cleveland football was the history of football in Cleveland, and that was that. For the Oilers/Titans, the Oilers simply decided to reinvent themselves when they moved to a new home (I mean, we love the brand, though it was arguably on the verge of being incompatible with modern tastes and sensibilities) without losing sight of the Warren Moons and Earl Campbells that got them where they were to that point. Though, Houston was too good a market to not have pro football in, so they filled in the blank by giving them a new franchise that would make its own history.

 

So, as it has been from the start and always will be:

• The Ravens are a team in Baltimore that started operations in 1996 with the staff of a team from Cleveland that suspended operations in 1995.

• The Browns are a team in Cleveland that existed from 1944 to 1995, suspended operations, then resumed in 1999 under new management.

• The Titans are a team in Tennessee which used to be called the Houston Oilers and took relocation as an opportunity to reinvent their brand, though still revere the team that they were prior to today.

• The Texans are a team in Houston that started operations in 2002 with no prior history or legacy behind it, only that which was to be made by the Houston Texans.

 

Now, basketball is a whole other beast which I have no interest in prodding.

[fouhy12]

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

The problem I had with the Texans helmet is that the finish on it made it clash against the jerseys.  They're both red, but they're definitely not the same color, if that makes sense.  I think the helmet and jersey each look great on their own, but look awkward when paired.  Maybe a matte finish would work better.

I would love to see how that helmet would pair with the Color Rush jersey. I think it could look nice with the red numbers.

[Indigo]

2 hours ago, Cujo said:

 

I don't need a history book. I lived the 90s. I know what really happened with the Browns/Ravens.

 

Not going for a Clevejacking here. Really want to get back to Houston and why folks would throw a fit if they rocked an Oilers color scheme. Just saying: If Cleveland's expansion team can lend from the previous franchise, then so can Houston. 

It's not a 1:1 equvilancy thing here. Cleveland can lend from the previous franchise becuase the new version of that franchise (Balimore) allows it. If the new version of this franchise (Tennesee) does not allow it, then Houston cannot lend from the previous franchise.

[HOOVER]

18 hours ago, GriffinM6 said:

I don't want to derail to thread, but as a Stetson alum you did a great job updating the uniforms and including the apple green. Wish we would use pants stripes too, but I can imagine that wasn't your call, much like the helmet stripe. 

 

Very cool, thank you.  Considering this is what they were wearing previously, I'm proud I was able to steer them towards a much-needed update: 

 

 

Imagine being a Division I program (FCS) in 2020 and wearing stock off-the-shelf team uniforms that the local yokel tackle twilled names & numbers on.  This is what happens when the wrong people are on the job.  I wouldn't put a varsity high school team in these uniforms.  When they rebranded in 2018, they literally ripped off the old Stetson wordmark on the chest, just left it blank, and slapped the new logo on the shoulders.   Horrific.  That's what the previous sales rep and the university's equipment manager at the time came up with.  Really sad work.  When I took over, they had hired a new EQ Manager who was coming from an FBS Division I, and we really went to work to try to treat the brand the way you're supposed to.  Some coaches get it, some have egos too big to care...always a fun process.  

To Stetson's credit, they did the  aforementioned rebrand with Bosack in 2018.  Joe knows how I feel, so I'm not stepping out of line here, but true to form, he provided them  a really solid logo & set of wordmarks...but then complicated things by adding a custom color...one not in Nike's team color library...and a custom athletic number font.  Both of the latter 2 things are awesome for athletic identities when it comes to branding & digital reproduction, but are an absolute nightmare when it comes to wearables and when working with Nike, as they don't like adding custom colors, the process to use custom fonts is painstaking, and it costs the customer a lot more money.   It took forever to get Nike to add Stetson's Hatter Green, as it has to go through a very specific process.   It's not just "hey, here are my pantone colors, make it."  But right after I left, my successor completed that process and I believe they're using it now and they look great in just about every sport as they've got them using Nike custom & sublimated uniforms rather than screen printing stock stuff, which is not what a university of that level should've been doing.

I actually suggested the STETSON workmark on both the Home & Away jerseys, as well as pant stripes, but they wanted HATTERS on the Home and didn't want pant stripes.   I was really pushing for them to add an NFL-style striped sock to match their jersey stripes, but with the way players wear their leggings/socks/sleeves/etc. these days, they knew most of them wouldn't wear them even if they were told to.  These sets would be helped more by changing to a traditional 2-color helmet stripe, ala LSU, but I digress.  

That all being said, very satisfied with how these came out and happy for their program and players.  The admin team there was great to work with and most of the people were quality people.  Nice campus in old Deland, Florida, not far from where I live outside of Orlando.

[Indigo]

1 hour ago, fouhy12 said:

I would love to see how that helmet would pair with the Color Rush jersey. I think it could look nice with the red numbers.

Your wish is my command.

[HOOVER]

So, since we're leaning into possible NFL 2023 Changes with all this Texans talk, I fired up Madden '23 last night and started a Franchise with the Detroit Lions.  Choosing their 1990's uniforms, I was really impressed with how that set looked on today's players.  

Who here would support Detroit bringing back the Barry Sanders uniforms?  Here's that set on Cory Schlesinger, the last of the giant shoulder pads + neck roll legends:

 

Personally, I think these are just about a half step down from Green Bay, Kansas City, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, etc. on the classic traditional looks, but still way better than any uniform they've worn since.  If they wanted to re-establish their brand, they could go back to their roots and don the look most people know them buy.  It has worked well for the Buccaneers.

If I knew how to get screenshots from Madden, I'd post them.  I'm almost 40 and don't know how these things work anymore, someone educate me.   

Yay or Nay?  No Blue pants though...that killed this set.

[HOOVER]

16 minutes ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

Your wish is my command.

 

I tried this on Madden last night also and I still hate it.   Really a shame they didn't choose the White alt helmet design instead as it would have worked so much better with all 3 jerseys they have.

[AgentColon2]

That set screams losers to me. 

[gosioux76]

4 hours ago, CDCLT said:

A "franchise" is nothing more than the license to operate a team in a certain city and when Art Modell decided to leave Cleveland, he did not take his franchise with him. According to the NFL, Modell was granted a new franchise to operate in Baltimore that was filled with the staff and players of the Cleveland Browns organization. However, the Browns franchise was deactivated for three years before it returned in 1999. Still the same franchise, but with a different organization. So yes, the current Browns are the same franchise as the old Browns.

 

This is a great explanation. 

 

This is a complicated situation, particularly because of how closely we associate teams with the players. But this is an instance where it's better to explain it in terms of business entities and remove the people from the equation, the way @CDCLTdid here.