It's official...CHRIS HOVAN NEEDS TO BE FINED!

[tBBP]

I know this has been discussed in some depth before in the past, but...

While watching my beloved Buccaneers battle the Cowboys, it became oh-so-crystally clear (as if it wasn't already): the league needs to SERIOUSLY do something about Chris Hovan's "jersey". I mean, for Christ's sake his chest is damn-near popping out of his "sleeve pits", along with seemingly half his upper torso! TO make it worse, the outer edge of dude's jersey numbers damn near TOUCH the "sleeve trim". It looks more like a daggone tank-top than a jersey!

THe league, if not the team, DESPERATELY needs to do something about this cat. That's just plain-out WRONG!!! If they wanna fine players for sock violations, this here should fit right into the Uniform Code of Jersey Violations.

Of course, to make it so bad, he isn't the only guy on the team in violation of this. Some of our other D-linemen have this same issue...but NONE are anywhere NEAR as egregiously disgusting and absolutely pitiful than one Chris Hovan.

I mean...WTF?? I'm sorry...but this mess REALLY irks me to NO END!!!

For those who have no clue what I'm talking about or have never seen him, here's a few examples (if your eyes can bear the sight of them):

And even worse than those...

...and in the worst example thus far (even though it is kinda small):

(I'm sure there are other players who have this same "issue"...but if there's a worse violator of there than Hovan, I have yet to see him...)

[Stand Up 8]

I just saw that on the Cowboys/Bucs game. I wonder if that really helps that much.

[Diablo de Tejas]

Funny you brought this up. I was noticing how odd he looked today. His tattoo placement makes me want to put my head through a wall!

[averyj]

Well, he does look like a pirate in that first pic...

=)

[sc49erfan15]

Even the non-religious football followers I was watching the game with today commented about it.

"That guy needs to get a bigger jersey."

Seriously...if he's worried about offensive linemen holding him because of extra fabric on his jersey...have the Bucs make him sleeves out of Under Armour-material or SOMETHING...anything's gotta be better than this.

Somewhat related, did anyone notice some of the Bucs' sleeve patches extending down onto the black sleeve cuffs? Looks awesome...ly bad.

[slapshot]

Players used to have sleeves, and football didn't suffer.

It's time for their return.

[Sproullie03]

I know that back when Kimo von Oelhoffen played for the Steelers he did it. The local news did a story on that once he has a reason for doing it but I do not remember what it is. But Hovan probably has the same reasoning.

[steiny_ramone]

He may as well be wearing a basketball jersey. Plenty of players have been fined for, IMO, lesser offences. I can't believe the NFL hasn't jumped on this.

[IceCap]

I know that back when Kimo von Oelhoffen played for the Steelers he did it. The local news did a story on that once he has a reason for doing it but I do not remember what it is. But Hovan probably has the same reasoning.

We all know what their "reasons" are. They say they don't want to give o-linemen any material to grab onto. Personally I don't buy it. defensive linemen managed to play their positions just fine for most of the game's history with sleeves. This tight sleeve trend needs to be stopped, before all the league's linemen are cutting their jerseys like Chris Hovan's.

[So_Fla]

I know that back when Kimo von Oelhoffen played for the Steelers he did it. The local news did a story on that once he has a reason for doing it but I do not remember what it is. But Hovan probably has the same reasoning.

Helps him when he is trying to take out QBs knees behind the play and attempting to end their careers.

[So_Fla]

We all know what their "reasons" are. They say they don't want to give o-linemen any material to grab onto. Personally I don't buy it. defensive linemen managed to play their positions just fine for most of the game's history with sleeves. This tight sleeve trend needs to be stopped, before all the league's linemen are cutting their jerseys like Chris Hovan's.

Ask these two guys if extra material hurt them or their careers.

Randy White:

Jack Ham:

[TheOldRoman]

Everyone talks about the socks, but the NFL doesn't fine players for having the wrong socks anymore. They fined Portis and Taylor last year, but that was inevitable due to how ridiculous they looked.

Probably half of NFL players wear socks incorrectly, and should be fined for it. A large portion wears their socks too high (ie - showing a lot of white with 2-3 inches of color at the top. An even bigger group wears their socks too low - 3 inches of white at the bottom of the sock if any. Many players are now wearing solid color socks.

This is ridiculous, and it needs to stop. The NFL needs to start enforcing their existing rules and hammering players for sock violations. They need to change the rules about sleeves, also.

[Discrim]

I know that back when Kimo von Oelhoffen played for the Steelers he did it. The local news did a story on that once he has a reason for doing it but I do not remember what it is. But Hovan probably has the same reasoning.

We all know what their "reasons" are. They say they don't want to give o-linemen any material to grab onto. Personally I don't buy it. defensive linemen managed to play their positions just fine for most of the game's history with sleeves. This tight sleeve trend needs to be stopped, before all the league's linemen are cutting their jerseys like Chris Hovan's.

as an ex-lineman, I'd actually want more fabric for opposing o-linemen to grab onto. I seem to recall a ref's supposed to call holding if they're grabbing jersey

heh, all Hobag wants to do is show off his lame tats

[CC97]

Jack Ham:

Looks like Ham is thinking about stealing 2nd

[bulldogbarks55]

I can't understand why he cut the jersey that way. In fact anybody who wants to hold him should just grab on to one of those protruding layers of blubber. Hey. Hovan, a real SLEEVE would make THAT more difficult! Duh!

[Mac the Knife]

Ask these two guys if extra material hurt them or their careers.

Randy White:

Hard to do since Randy White's dead, but point taken.

[pcgd]

I still think its hilarious how much everyone gets worked up over this. I understand thinking it looks stupid, but I'm betting some of you are actually physically upset about this. Calm yourself.

I thought it was a recent thing...until I got a chance to watch the 1985 Super Bowl yesterday at Thanksgiving....

20 years ago, guys were rolling up their sleeves under their jerseys. Maybe not as bad (I mean, if you think its that bad...its not that big of deal.), but it was close, but almost all of them had their no stripes showing at all. Some of the Patriots linebackers had cut their sleeves to be shorter...right through the middle of the TV numbers.

So yeah, today's player is the devil with no appreciation for history (...or sleeves) and it's never happened until the last couple years.

Here's the thing....maybe dick Butkus did fine without rolling up his sleeves. But, it today's game, he'd be a practice squad player. The players are faster, stronger, and all very similar in athletic ability. Butkus or Lambert or any of them would look completely different, they'd be different players, and they'd roll up their stupid sleeves if they played today. You have to use every bit of an advantage you can. How many people do you know, that have played at least Varsity HS football or college, that wish they wore long(er) sleeves when they played? I know of...zero. Otherwise at my college (we had sleeves) nobody would have rolled them up. But pregame in hte locker room had 60+ guys helping each other stuff those sleeves under their pads...

I just can imagine what a guy like Chris Hovan could do to a Offensive takle that had big sleeves dangling to his elbows. He'd take that sleeve, yank straight down on it so hard his sholder might dislocate, do a swim move over the top of it and before you realized it, the QB would have a concussion.

But hey...sleeves are back!

We all know what their "reasons" are. They say they don't want to give o-linemen any material to grab onto. Personally I don't buy it. defensive linemen managed to play their positions just fine for most of the game's history with sleeves. This tight sleeve trend needs to be stopped, before all the league's linemen are cutting their jerseys like Chris Hovan's.

Ask these two guys if extra material hurt them or their careers.

Randy White:

Jack Ham:

No crap. If a leather helmet was good enough for Red Grange, its good enough for these these sally's. I'm looking at you Larry Johnson...

Why don't they wear sweaters and knickers anymore? Ruining the game I tell ya!

[powersurge]

Funny thing that I noticed the other day while watching some old college football games on ESPN Classic. All of the Jersey sleeves were soooooooo long it seemed comical. Every time a running back got the hand off all you saw was his sleeves shaking and rippling back in forth as he ran down the field. It makes you think how we went from that to what we have today (i.e. Hovan type jersey) I still think nothing is as bad as Jim Burt and his '6......4' jersey. Anyone who was a Giants fan in the 80's knows exactly what I mean. That thing was so damn tight you could see his shoulder pads right through the jersey.

[TFoA]

How many people do you know, that have played at least Varsity HS football or college, that wish they wore long(er) sleeves when they played? I know of...zero.

Damn right. I know when I played, I had the Chris Hovan-style going on during practice, and I was a Defensive Back. During the game it wasn't that bad that it looked like I was seriously ballin! in a basketball jersey, but I still had them rolled up. And I'll tell you, part of it is to reduce holding, and another part is, at least for us immature high school football players, is to show off the guns. But yeah, I can understand why today's players do it, and I can understand why people are clamoring to go back to the early style. Because Jack Ham looks like someone you would never want the misfortune of crossing on a football field, and then the uniform just looked damn good. But, times are a changing. And with the times, players' attitude and attributes change, and with that the attire changes. So yeah, getting back on topic, I'm not bothered with everyone else rolling up their sleeves...just Chris Hovan. Because that right there is ridiculous.

[Twill_engineer]

I always thought that a players shoulder pads could not protrude from under their jersey. I say this because back in the 80's many TV commentators raised questions about Harry Carson's and Carl Banks' upper arm protectors.