New uniforms' days: Are they numbered?

[Claystation360]

"Wednesday, August 6, 1997

It must be located deep, deep, deep in the league bylaws, somewhere between the complex formula for determining the salary cap and the proper procedure for inventing a lame excuse after a loaded revolver is found in your carry-on bag gage.

Somewhere, on page 602 of the Official NFL Manual, right there in Chapter 57A, Section 122.57, Subsection 1((2)c., it must say: ''Pursuant to league mandate and hereinafter, all above-referenced new NFL uniforms shall be ugly. Absolutely ugly.''

Can we get right to the point?

I hate the Jaguars' new uniforms.

They're ugly, they're unreadable, they're unnecessary. What was wrong with last year's uniforms, anyway? I liked the uniforms last year. They were darn fine uniforms. They were playoff uniforms. They were lucky uniforms. They were legible uniforms.

And, for that matter, what was wrong with the uniforms in year one? Three seasons, three different uniforms? PICK A UNIFORM, for crying out loud. And stick with it.

Just don't stick with these uniforms. Send back these uniforms and tell Nike they're unacceptable. Get Phil Knight on the horn right now and tell him to quit spending so much time and money on Tiger Woods and send us a decent uniform down here PDQ.

''Personally, I look great in every uniform I've ever worn,'' Jags defensive tackle John Jurkovic cracked yesterday when asked about the team's new uniforms with the indecipherable numbers. ''But, you know, Gianni Versace probably rolled over in his grave BYLINE2:when he saw our uniforms.

''What can you say? Nike controls everything. The uniforms Nike wants are the uniforms Nike gets.''

Somebody needs to tell Nike, the official apparel company of the entire world, that this is about football, not fashion. Especially bad fashion. I mean, did you see Denver's horrid new uniforms in the Monday night game against Miami? It looked like the Do lphins were playing the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League.

''Our uniforms certainly aren't as bad as Denver's,'' said Jaguars center Dave Widell, an ex-Bronco. ''There was a time when my wife and I talked about moving back to Denver after I retire. But after seeing the Broncos' new uniforms, there's no way we'll ever go back there.''

Call me kooky, but I always thought the reason for uniform numbers was so fans and officials could identify players. Nike, it seems, is more concerned with how many replica jerseys can be sold to boys who think the new streamlined numbers are ''cool.''

Isn't that just great? Teenagers are now dictating how our sports teams are outfitted. Before you know it, Tom Coughlin will be decked out in baggy coaching shorts, and Nike will mandate that players must wear their helmets backward. And go ahead and book the Spice Girls to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

We can only be thankful Nike wasn't around in 1927. The Yankees' pinstripes would have been replaced by plaid.

To the credit of Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, he, too, is concerned about the team's fan-unfriendly uniforms and said yesterday that he is in the process of investigating the matter. The problem, of course, is that fans in the stands and media members in t he press box can't read the new smaller, thinner, shadowed numbers. In fact, Widell said he was watching some tape of the preseason opener with Carolina, and he couldn't differentiate the numbers either.

Let's go to Brian Sexton, the radio voice of the Jaguars, way up in the booth:

''Kevin Hardy takes the snap from center . . . he drops back to pass, and - Oh! - it's a draw play. He hands the ball to Bryan Barker. . . . Fumble! . . . Rob Johnson recovers for the Jaguars and runs to the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. . . . Jaguars score! Jaguars sco re! Jaguars score! And here comes Leon Searcy out to attempt the extra point.''

Funny how the numbers on the Jaguars' uniforms are difficult to discern, but the Nike swooshes on each sleeve are clear as can be. Can you say conspiracy? Can you say Uni-Gate? Is there any question that this is all part of the Nike plot to brainwash the planet? If the numbers were bigger and clearer, we wouldn't even notice the swooshes. But Nike, I'm convinced, has purposely obscured the numbers.

And before too long, Nike will phase out numbers on uniforms altogether. Instead of wearing No. 56, Jags defensive end Jeff Lageman will have five swooshes followed by a blank space and then six more swooshes.

''It doesn't matter what I think of the new uniforms,'' Lageman says, ''it matters what the fans think. If the fans don't like 'em, I say let's change 'em.''

Well, fans, what do you think?

Do you like the new unis, or not?"

I just thought this was a interesting piece of history .

[walkerws]

UUUMMMMMM, What are you talking about? 1. Reebok makes the NFL unis. 2. There is really nothing new about their unis unless they just decided to show new ones in the lest 6 hours.

[TruColor]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

[walkerws]

Double post and I like that unique font. All teams should have unique fonts.

[TruColor]

UUUMMMMMM, What are you talking about? 1. Reebok makes the NFL unis. 2. There is really nothing new about their unis unless they just decided to show new ones in the lest 6 hours.

Re-read his post. This is an article from 1997.

[ericcartman19]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

Where is the "swoosh."

[TruColor]

Where is the "swoosh."

The NFL Style Guide doesn't include the manufacturer's logos.

The few NFL Europe files I have did however, but not the NFL.

[DGivens87]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

I think the Jags should have kept those black side panels...I think the teal/black sided jerseys completely blow the current black unis outta the water.

[Old School Fool]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

That beats their current set. (alternates and all)

Yeah, I said it...

[KCScout76]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

The numbers aren't TV friendly. I hate them to. Great colors, wonderful logo, and terrible jerseys.

The numbers look good on paper but do transfer well to 'actual' use - I know when I ordered new jerseys, I want parents to be able to read the numbers from the stands. Our high school ordered these hideous jerseys with those round numbers. Though they look ok on the white unis - the dark jerseys are terrible.

Thanks Pantone for the syle guide - you can really see the detail or lack there of while watching the game on TV or section 307.

[Sodboy13]

Those side panels were atrocious. They killed the great look the team sported in its first two seasons. If you're gonna have side panels on your jersey, they better have some sort of flow into the pants striping. Otherwise, don't bother.

And for those of you who are somewhat new to this joint, those extra-narrow numbers with the thick drop-shadow were so illegible from any distance, they didn't make it out of the preseason. Nike had them re-worked into the team's current number font by the '97 kickoff. It was interesting to see at sports stores in '97 the preseason and regular season styles sharing a rack.

[TruColor]

If you're gonna have side panels on your jersey, they better have some sort of flow into the pants striping. Otherwise, don't bother.

Helllloooo New England Patriots...

[STL FANATIC]

If you're gonna have side panels on your jersey, they better have some sort of flow into the pants striping. Otherwise, don't bother.

Helllloooo New England Patriots...

New England's uniforms bother me so much. And not because I hate the Patriots. I've never liked the look they have because they could have had a really great look and they didn't do the little things right.

Thin red piping does NOT flow into a thick red stripe.

Besides that, why navy pants? I mean, I don't mind them having them, but they should wear silver pants with BOTH uniforms most of the time.

Anyways, I LOVE the Jags current look. I just wish they'd wear their black pants most of the time, again, with BOTH uniforms.

[FiddySicks]

Anyone have a picture of these in action during the pre-season (at least the #s)?

EDIT:

Well, that was easier than I expected

[TruColor]

I'll have to check this weekend, but I might have all of the numbers on that sheet. Unfortunately, it'll have to be a scan; I don't have that file in vector.

Another annoying aspect of these unis were the use of THREE different Golds:

[number81]

Here is a good example of the problems with the numbers on the preseason jersey. There was no negative space for 2's, 4's, 8's and 9's, which is a BIG problem...

[TruColor]

I do have the mechanical artwork for those numerals on a sheet. They're in B&W, but should be useful.

I'll scan them either tonight or sometime this weekend.

[Sport]

How I long for the days when this country had some sensibility to it and side stripes on a jersey were considered ugly. By today's standard's they're pretty tame. I can remember my father, who doesn't swear that much say "what the :censored:?!" when he saw the new broncos uniforms on national TV.

[Brian in Boston]

I've got the Style Guide sheet for those things...the numbers were atrocious:

I provided the entertainment at a function for one of Wayne Weaver's corporate holdings shortly after these uniforms had been unveiled. In addition to my normal fee, I arranged for my compensation for working the event to include a personalized version of one of these Jacksonville Jaguars jersey. I still have it.

[leedsunited]

Double post and I like that unique font. All teams should have unique fonts.

There's this league called the AFL (and AFL2) that may just appeal to your aesthetic sensibilities.

And as for that Jags set, aside from the too-narrow numbering, it really wasn't THAT bad. Just a "meh" change. I wouldn't call it Bronco-level bad.