NFL 2022 Changes

[tBBP]

54 minutes ago, Indigo said:

I personally hope they take the above jersey and use these numbers with them:

 

For the record, JAX still uses them on the field, wordmark, and social media:

 

 

I've never been a big fan of that font--it's one of those scientifically chopped-and-screwed custom-for-custom's sake fonts Nike's been notorious for cooking up over the years (although sometimes they get it right, like with Oklahoma State). Plus, nothing about that font design says "cat" to me, DEFINITELY not the way their first team font did--their current reads more like razor blades or something the Raiders could use--but for consistency's sake, I'd take that over what they're using now. 

 

And since we're talking about this, let's dissect this (and thus continue the Jagjack), shall we?

 

 

(best I could find on my current browser but it gets the point across)

 

There's a lot going on in here, so let's get to it. But first, think in your mind of some characteristics of a large cat--or a cat period, if you prefer ("speed", "sleek", "agile", certain shapes like its tail--things like that.)

 

Now, with all that said...I think (I can't prove it though) that the above font was built from a modified version of Dharma Expanded, same as with the Philadelphia Eagles, which far more obviously to me was modified from Dharma Slab (see here). Mind you, the actual numbers were more rounded on the tops and bottoms than the above graphic shows, but check out the half-serifs on the stems of the 1 and 7, the stem and join (top right) of the 4, the terminals (if you want to call them that) of the 2 and 3, and that top bars (or flags) of the 5 and 7. (Those half-serifs show up in different ways in the letters of the shield logo, as well.) They're subtle, yet effective, and adds a touch of class. (That upward-pointing half-serif on the 5 is my favorite little quirk of this glyph set.) Notice the spine of the 2 has that slight curvature to it, much like an actual cat. But, if you want to see where this glyph set REALLY shines, then check out the terminals of the 6 and 9...I don't know whose idea it was to do that, but look at those and tell me you don't get even a slight impression of a cat's tail.

 

THAT is how you add some distinctive character into an otherwise static base font.

 

That's also the reason I haven't always liked the too-often-hackneyed and at-times-too-scientific hack and chop jobs Nike's been churning out like with (the U of) Minnesota and the Snatit even (FTR, I haven't seen nearly as much of that with adidas or UA, but there may be some I haven't seen yet), and of course Jacksonville's current font. I know why the cuts and angles were made the way they were--to form perfect lines and angles with as many glyph pairings as possible. The problem is then you end up with stuff like this:

 

 

The top of the L, the left arm of the T, the bottom terminal of the C, and the Y which has no special treatment are examples of what happens when you try too hard to customize--you sacrifice readability with all that wonky white space going on around the glyphs and end up customizing all the connotative character right out of it. (Remember all those cat characteristics I mentioned thinking about?) It can actually cause more strain the eyes to try to read it as well...although, to be fair, we're really just dealing with jersey numbers here. Even still, I personally feel the original font embodies more connotative characteristics of a cat whereas the current one was more "flavor of the moment" custom chop job. 

[Korkie]

I am nostalgic as anyone for the Jags’ old sets, especially the number set. But the current set is fine and professional. I would just add a teal outline to the white numbers on the black jersey, gold on the white numbers on the teal jersey, and either or on the black numbers on the white jersey (not both in a double outline, pick one). To me they just need that one tweak, not a full reset. Maybe just bring the ‘95 teals back as a throwback. 

[Indigo]

39 minutes ago, tBBP said:

 

I've never been a big fan of that font--it's one of those scientifically chopped-and-screwed custom-for-custom's sake fonts Nike's been notorious for cooking up over the years (although sometimes they get it right, like with Oklahoma State). Plus, nothing about that font design says "cat" to me, DEFINITELY not the way their first team font did--their current reads more like razor blades or something the Raiders could use--but for consistency's sake, I'd take that over what they're using now. 

 

And since we're talking about this, let's dissect this (and thus continue the Jagjack), shall we?

Wasn't expecting a fully detailed dissection of two different fonts lol.

Anyways, while I see and understand your point--and I by no means hate the "cat" font-- I don't see why the font has to be evocative of the mascot.  The Raiders and Bucs don't have pirate fonts--they use block. So do the Panthers. The only team I can recall ever using a mascot themed font are the 2000s Lions and the current Seahawks, which both have varying degress of success, depending who you ask.

In short, I'd prefer the 2017 font, but the 90s one isn't bad. The legibility issues with the 2017 one likley wouldn't be that big of an issue, as it's been used before on uniforms without much outcry, and nameplates aren't visible outside of close-ups anyways.

10 minutes ago, Korkie said:

I am nostalgic as anyone for the old sets, especially the number set. But the current set is fine and professional. I would just add a teal outline to the white numbers on the black jersey, gold on the white numbers on the teal jersey, and either or on the black numbers on the white jersey (not both in a double outline, pick one). To me they just need that one tweak, not a full reset. Maybe just bring the 95’s teals back as a throwback. 

Nah, the numbers on the road jersey should always be teal. and even with the tweaks that you emntioned, there's still no pant stripes and hardly any gold. The Jags are best when all three colors are prominent.

[jerrylawless3]

Speaking as someone who doesn't have the nostalgia for the '98 or early 2000s set, I agree with @Korkie. To me, the current set is closer to a great uniform than reverting to a throwback would be.

[Indigo]

5 minutes ago, jerrylawless3 said:

Speaking as someone who doesn't have the nostalgia for the '98 or early 2000s set, I agree with @Korkie. To me, the current set is closer to a great uniform than reverting to a throwback would be.

I wasn't alive to watch the 90s set in action, but it is still definitivley a better football uniform, solely because it has pants stripes.

[jerrylawless3]

5 minutes ago, Indigo said:

I wasn't alive to watch the 90s set in action, but it is still definitivley a better football uniform, solely because it has pants stripes.

Pants stripes is one of the handful of tweaks that the current set needs to be great – pants stripes, strokes on the numbers, and maybe a little more gold. It's a solid set – the teal pops off the black and white where the old set is more muddy, and the numerals are close enough to block to feel classic, but far enough away to be unique.

[Indigo]

17 minutes ago, jerrylawless3 said:

Pants stripes is one of the handful of tweaks that the current set needs to be great – pants stripes, strokes on the numbers, and maybe a little more gold. It's a solid set – the teal pops off the black and white where the old set is more muddy, and the numerals are close enough to block to feel classic, but far enough away to be unique.

If the only diference is the number font, isn't that the same thing as bringing back the throwback but replacing the font?

You said:

40 minutes ago, jerrylawless3 said:

Speaking as someone who doesn't have the nostalgia for the '98 or early 2000s set, I agree with @Korkie. To me, the current set is closer to a great uniform than reverting to a throwback would be.

Placing all of the throwbacks' elemnets on the current jersey is the same thing as reverting to the throwbacks with the current number font.  Different wording, same result.

[jerrylawless3]

23 minutes ago, Indigo said:

If the only diference is the number font, isn't that the same thing as bringing back the throwback but replacing the font?

 

Placing all of the throwbacks' elemnets on the current jersey is the same thing as reverting to the throwbacks with the current number font.  Different wording, same result.

I didn't say to use the elements from the throwback jersey. I think if you add a single pants stripe and maybe another gold element it would elevate the whole set while keeping it minimal and using the color-blocking to provide contrast and let the colors stand out against each other.

 

If I had to choose one set as-is, I think the current uniform is better than the throwback on Nike's uniform cut.

[Indigo]

51 minutes ago, jerrylawless3 said:

I didn't say to use the elements from the throwback jersey. I think if you add a single pants stripe and maybe another gold element it would elevate the whole set while keeping it minimal and using the color-blocking to provide contrast and let the colors stand out against each other.

 

If I had to choose one set as-is, I think the current uniform is better than the throwback on Nike's uniform cut.

 

Let's agree to disagree. i think the old is superior, even with the new Nike uniform cut.

 

 

[BBTV]

4 hours ago, tBBP said:

Jagjack

 

Let's get this added to the CCSLC lexicon.

[The_Admiral]

I'm sorry, you cannot have single-layer black on white with plain white pants, all to the exclusion to your team's primary color. That's the cheapest-looking uniform in the league. Austerity without history is useless.

[Discrim]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:49 PM, dont care said:

A dude was pretty much big swinging a guy like Claudio by his shirt

I remember back in my JV days, mentally facepalming on the sideline one fine Thursday afternoon, because I've long guessed they wanted to look cool, our DEs and linebackers were tackling like that (though not grabbing t-shirts)...and looking like idiots because without fail, they kept throwing the runner forward, gifting them one or two extra yards. 

[dont care]

22 minutes ago, Discrim said:

I remember back in my JV days, mentally facepalming on the sideline one fine Thursday afternoon, because I've long guessed they wanted to look cool, our DEs and linebackers were tackling like that (though not grabbing t-shirts)...and looking like idiots because without fail, they kept throwing the runner forward, gifting them one or two extra yards. 

The dude was basically home free if it wasn’t for his shirt. And then he fumbled it after being windmilled about 3 times

[Korkie]

5 hours ago, jerrylawless3 said:

Pants stripes is one of the handful of tweaks that the current set needs to be great – pants stripes, strokes on the numbers, and maybe a little more gold. It's a solid set – the teal pops off the black and white where the old set is more muddy, and the numerals are close enough to block to feel classic, but far enough away to be unique.

I am a fan of pants stripes that match the helmet stripes (I am looking at you, Colts). It creates balance and consistency. I am a little more forgiving of no pants stripes for Jags since they have no helmet stripe. I don’t mind having the logo on the pants. That said, I am against any set where the socks match the pants. Thursday night needed teal socks at least. 

[Germanshepherd]

The term “Create-A-Team Generic” gets thrown around a lot more than it should, but I can’t think of a sports uniform that fits the description more than the Jags’ aways. 
 

It’s a create a team default that the user makes no changes to and hits save team and exit. 

[DCarp1231]

Until the Jaguars change their set, they will always seem like what would happen if a video game didn’t have a single ounce of naming rights and just decided to merge the Raiders with Jacksonville 

[seasaltvanilla]

I'd lose the full jaguar on the sleeves, it looks silly. Otherwise an ideal look.

[BBTV]

12 minutes ago, seasaltvanilla said:

I'd lose the full jaguar on the sleeves, it looks silly. Otherwise an ideal look.

it might look decent under the collar as opposed to putting a wordmark there. 

[WSU151]

46 minutes ago, BBTV said:

it might look decent under the collar as opposed to putting a wordmark there. 

 Wordmarks are non-directional though, which is why they look better under the collar. Having the jaguars on the sleeves was smart because they faced forward. 

[MJD7]

On 12/23/2022 at 4:05 PM, tBBP said:

I've never been a big fan of that font--it's one of those scientifically chopped-and-screwed custom-for-custom's sake fonts Nike's been notorious for cooking up over the years (although sometimes they get it right, like with Oklahoma State). Plus, nothing about that font design says "cat" to me, DEFINITELY not the way their first team font did--their current reads more like razor blades or something the Raiders could use--but for consistency's sake, I'd take that over what they're using now. 

 

And since we're talking about this, let's dissect this (and thus continue the Jagjack), shall we?

 

 

(best I could find on my current browser but it gets the point across)

 

There's a lot going on in here, so let's get to it. But first, think in your mind of some characteristics of a large cat--or a cat period, if you prefer ("speed", "sleek", "agile", certain shapes like its tail--things like that.)

 

Now, with all that said...I think (I can't prove it though) that the above font was built from a modified version of Dharma Expanded, same as with the Philadelphia Eagles, which far more obviously to me was modified from Dharma Slab (see here). Mind you, the actual numbers were more rounded on the tops and bottoms than the above graphic shows, but check out the half-serifs on the stems of the 1 and 7, the stem and join (top right) of the 4, the terminals (if you want to call them that) of the 2 and 3, and that top bars (or flags) of the 5 and 7. (Those half-serifs show up in different ways in the letters of the shield logo, as well.) They're subtle, yet effective, and adds a touch of class. (That upward-pointing half-serif on the 5 is my favorite little quirk of this glyph set.) Notice the spine of the 2 has that slight curvature to it, much like an actual cat. But, if you want to see where this glyph set REALLY shines, then check out the terminals of the 6 and 9...I don't know whose idea it was to do that, but look at those and tell me you don't get even a slight impression of a cat's tail.

 

THAT is how you add some distinctive character into an otherwise static base font.

 

That's also the reason I haven't always liked the too-often-hackneyed and at-times-too-scientific hack and chop jobs Nike's been churning out like with (the U of) Minnesota and the Snatit even (FTR, I haven't seen nearly as much of that with adidas or UA, but there may be some I haven't seen yet), and of course Jacksonville's current font. I know why the cuts and angles were made the way they were--to form perfect lines and angles with as many glyph pairings as possible. The problem is then you end up with stuff like this:

 

 

The top of the L, the left arm of the T, the bottom terminal of the C, and the Y which has no special treatment are examples of what happens when you try too hard to customize--you sacrifice readability with all that wonky white space going on around the glyphs and end up customizing all the connotative character right out of it. (Remember all those cat characteristics I mentioned thinking about?) It can actually cause more strain the eyes to try to read it as well...although, to be fair, we're really just dealing with jersey numbers here. Even still, I personally feel the original font embodies more connotative characteristics of a cat whereas the current one was more "flavor of the moment" custom chop job. 

I think a healthy blend of the two would be really nice:

(As a side note, I think teal/black/gold like this is the best color distribution of the numbers, one thing the 2013 set got right).

 

The 90's font has some faults too (in my mind):  uneven line weights really date fonts to the late 90's/early 2000's, it's why I prefer the Titans' current font to their former (just about the only improvement in their most recent redesign), & I'm desperate for the Eagles to change their font for the same reason.

 

You hit the nail on the head with the "feline" feel of the original font though. That's one thing I really miss from it.