Royal Blue for Colts this year?

[TruColor]

I can't believe someone would actually think the USC grey facemask isn't the best possible color for that helmet.

I am completely bewildered that anyone actually prefers Gray facemasks.

They were only originally Gray because that was the only color they came in.

DIE Gray facemasks, DIE!

[Gothamite]

I think in some cases they're charming. I wouldn't want all teams to use them, but for teams with a classic look, they're perfect.

[Intimidator85]

I don't think it matters too much what shade of blue the Colts wear. For most people, they could not positively tell the difference. Even we here on this board have already have trouble distinguishing what type of blue the Colts wore on their numbers last Sunday. Even with the provided color palette, there was little difference. It really is no big deal to me what color the Colts wear, because like most others, I could not tell the difference over the years, anyway.

[andrewharrington]

I can't believe someone would actually think the USC grey facemask isn't the best possible color for that helmet.

I am completely bewildered that anyone actually prefers Gray facemasks.

They were only originally Gray because that was the only color they came in.

DIE Gray facemasks, DIE!

The only team without gray in its color sheme that should be wearing gray facemasksare the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In their one special case, I don't think a blue facemask would look good. The Notre Dame Gold helmet and the gray facemask are an icon, and pretty unique. They would look very much like Navy with a blue mask.

Those uniforms looked so good on the field last saturday in Ann Arbor that I almost peed my pants because I couldn't stop looking at the TV. (For the record, I did make it to the restroom during a commercial.) If friggin' Penn State can suck it up and change its facemask color to match its uniforms, then Alabama, Southern Califormia, et al can follow suit. Gray facemasks look and are old and outdated*

*Except as noted above.

[TruColor]

The only team without gray in its color sheme that should be wearing gray facemasksare the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In their one special case, I don't think a blue facemask would look good. The Notre Dame Gold helmet and the gray facemask are an icon, and pretty unique. They would look very much like Navy with a blue mask.

A few years ago, Notre Dame wore Navy Blue masks in a bowl game. I wish like heck I had pictures; I know most people are going to doubt me here (especially the newer members!), but it happened.

Yes, the helmets looked like Navy, but I - being the non-traditionalist that I am - would slap that "ND" logo on the helmet anyway.

[TruColor]

We're getting way off-topic here, but here's what I would do for Notre Dame:

[andrewharrington]

Man, I just checked out the news today and saw that some folks in South Bend got pretty angry with some guy from Colorado and burned him at the stake, like with real fire and stuff.

[redsfan39]

Man, I just checked out the news today and saw that some folks in South Bend got pretty angry with some guy from Colorado and burned him at the stake, like with real fire and stuff.

turns out his name was partone..pantyone...something like that

[TruColor]

Man, I just checked out the news today and saw that some folks in South Bend got pretty angry with some guy from Colorado and burned him at the stake, like with real fire and stuff.

Well, I AM a Purdue fan and all...

[Cujo]

We're getting way off-topic here, but here's what I would do for Notre Dame:

I like.

I think since it is the 21st century, all helmets should be rocking a logo of some sort.

[Gothamite]

I wish like heck I had pictures; I know most people are going to doubt me here (especially the newer members!), but it happened.

Only a newbie could doubt you.

I like that helmet. Makes me wish the Packers had never changed colors....

[Blue Falcon]

Grey facemasks should ONLY be worn with throwback helmets/unis, in my opinion. Like our burned-in-effigy friend Pantone says, the only reason they were grey before was because no one had the imagination back then to paint them in team colors.

Having said that, I DO think teams should wear a throwback 1-2 times a year, so if/when the Browns do it they need to go to the grey masks, darnit.

[TruColor]

One more thing on the Gray facemask thing:

As a kid growing up in the '70s, and as someone who followed uniform and logo changes even back then, it was really fun every year to see who was changing facemask colors ("fun" being a relative term). Once the Chargers and Chiefs started the trend in 1974 with team color-inspired facemasks (Yellow/Gold and White respectively), each season brought at least one or two teams (or more) into this trend. One-by-one, they all started following this, and in my opinion, the different colored masks really changed the overall look of the team.

Now that it has become a fad to go retro with Gray masks - in my opinion - we have taken a step backward. Makes me wonder how many people my own age actually likes these stupid things.

Of course, I was and always will be a Cardinals fan, and I'm still waiting for them to follow suit...

[slapshot]

Gray facemasks work in certain instances. Take the Giants, for example. Beautiful, classic uniform head to toe (home only, not the newer red one). It just wouldn't look right with a white facemask. Gray works for the Cowboys, though a blue mask could work as well. Same for the Raiders, but a black mask would work well also.

I don't like the look with the Colts mask. If it should be anything other than blue, it should be white. Unless the Colts bring silver/gray back into the color scheme, at which point the gray mask would be perfectly acceptable.

Any team with silver/gray as the colors can use a gray mask without being accused of going "retro". The Eagles? Sure, if it matches the silver/charcoal gray. Lions? Maybe. They look better with a blue mask, but a gray one would match the helmet. Patriots? Sure, but the red mask looks better to break up the silver. The Bills and Falcons might be the exceptions to this.

As far as the Cardinals go, I'm torn. Red or black would look much better for the masks, but the Cards have always had a gray mask (I think), and it's such a part of the look historically, that it just seems to go hand-in-hand with the logo.

[TruColor]

Now, how can anybody not like THESE better?:

[yh]

As a kid growing up in the '70s, and as someone who followed uniform and logo changes even back then, it was really fun every year to see who was changing facemask colors ("fun" being a relative term).

Funny, I don't remember having a brother.

I was the exact same way. Of course I took it to the next level by actually writing in to the teams (before the internet, there was this thing called the World Almanac which used to publish the addresses for all of the big league sports teams) and providing them with drawings of proposed uniform upgrades (before MS Paint and Illustrator there was this thing called the 256 color marker pen set). I used to get polite replies from the teams, usually accompanied by a team picture and some team sticker sets. Ahh, the 70's, good times.

With regard to grey masks, my biggest issue is that it seems like over the past few years the grey that the manufacturers are using has lightened considerably from the days when that's practically the only color they made. Thus, to me, it's really not a throwback, it's more of a washout. Bring back the darker, grittier, more industrial grey color, then I'd consider it more of a throwback.

[Blue Falcon]

As a kid growing up in the '70s, and as someone who followed uniform and logo changes even back then, it was really fun every year to see who was changing facemask colors ("fun" being a relative term).

Funny, I don't remember having a brother.

Same here! I kept track of what uniform each team wore back in the late 70s, and have been cursing myself ever since for not saving that notebook!!

I was like that with the USFL as well. I remember the blank stares I used to receive when I asked other USFL-watching friends what uniform the teams they saw wore in the game. Their attitude was 'who cares.'

Obviously I do, otherwise I wouldn't be on this board!

[cableguy]

Am I crazy or do I vaguely remember the colts wearing gray pants with their blue home jerseys a few years back. It may have only been for one season and they wore white pants with thier white jerseys that year but I seem to remember the gray pants...may have even had a horseshoe on them...anyone help me out with this?

[yh]

I was like that with the USFL as well. I remember the blank stares I used to receive when I asked other USFL-watching friends what uniform the teams they saw wore in the game. Their attitude was 'who cares.'

Oh man, the first two years of the USFL was like Christmas for teenaged logo and uni freaks like myself. Eighteen totally new helmets, uniforms and logos in a 15 month span. It was awesome, to borrow an era-appropriate term. And the only thing I didn't get was why the Stars used a white mask when a red one would have made much more sense.

[TruColor]

Am I crazy or do I vaguely remember the colts wearing gray pants with their blue home jerseys a few years back. It may have only been for one season and they wore white pants with thier white jerseys that year but I seem to remember the gray pants...may have even had a horseshoe on them...anyone help me out with this?

This comes up a lot. Yes, the Colts wore Silver (actually Gray) pants with the Royal Blue jerseys, and had Silver trim on the White jerseys and White pants. They wore these from 1982 through 1986. Here's a scan of an actual Style Guide sheet from 1986: