More AFL fun..

[mmejia]

Titans don the blue lid as the prep for Sunday's game vs Buffalo:

titansonline

[Brave-Bird 08]

wait are they wearing throwbacks in the hall of fame game?

[Jezus_Ghoti]

Yes.

[mmejia]

Sorry, here's the article:

Titans Online

Titans Unveil Oilers Throwback Helmets During Morning Practice

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans unveiled their powder blue Houston Oilers throwback helmets for the first time in training camp on Tuesday, offering a mild diversion to what was a hot, humid morning at Baptist Sports Park.

Head coach Jeff Fisher said the team needed the opportunity to get used to the helmets and break them in before Sunday?s Hall of Fame game against the Bills in Canton, Ohio. In that game, the Titans will wear their throwback Houston Oilers jerseys and helmets the first of four times this season. They will don the Oilers blue in legacy road games against the Jets and Patriots, and at home against Buffalo.

?This is a special opportunity to be a part of this great game, especially when you consider the impact our owner Mr. Adams had on this league and it being the 50th anniversary.? Fisher said. ?We have four games with the throwbacks. They?re early in the year and this will be the first opportunity and I know the players are excited about the uniform.?

Fisher and the Titans are honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame game, which marks the start of the preseason and is the only NFL game that will be played this weekend. Some Titans, especially Houston native Vince Young, have been anxious to wear the old school Oilers uniforms.

?It?s big. There?s a lot of history, a lot of ups and downs and a lot of excitement with the franchise,? Young said. ?The fans were always supportive of the Oilers, especially myself as a kid. I used to love the Oilers and I watched them every Sunday. It?s going to be pretty cool running around in that jersey representing the history of the franchise.?

Another native Texan, fullback Ahmard Hall, was truly excited to don the Oilers attire.

?It feels good because it?s the team I watched as a child,? Hall said. ?If the Titans were still the Oilers, it would be like ?Wow, this is the team I watched my whole childhood and I?m living the dream by playing on this team.??

That idea of playing as the Oilers, a team that owner Bud Adams Jr. founded back in 1959, is something all of the Titans players feel honored to do. It?s a unique chance to represent the history and legacy of the organization.

?Anytime we get a chance to represent the Houston Oilers history, I think that?s a great thing,? safety Vincent Fuller said. ?It?s a privilege to be able to wear it and hopefully we will represent the Oilers well in Canton.?

Fans that were disappointed when the Oilers left for Tennessee back in 1997 will get a chance to see their favorite team dressed out in the powder blue once again on Sunday.

?A lot of guys tell me back home that when the Oilers left, they followed us over here to Tennessee,? Hall said. ?So it will be good for those old school guys back in Houston, Texas and down south to see us wearing that?it will bring back a lot of memories.?

[pagan696]

hmm, an alt/throwback for 4 games. very nice.

[CreamSoda]

that is siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick

[ColeJ]

every season when i see the titans in training camp and there are countless pics of them in practice jerseys, it just hammers home how awesomely simple they can look.

wouldn't the titans look great in solid columbia blue tops, white pants, and a columbia blue helmet?

simplicity can work wonders with such a unique color scheme and recognizable font.

[cubbies06]

every season when i see the titans in training camp and there are countless pics of them in practice jerseys, it just hammers home how awesomely simple they can look.

wouldn't the titans look great in solid columbia blue tops, white pants, and a columbia blue helmet?

simplicity can work wonders with such a unique color scheme and recognizable font.

You have described the perfect Titans uniform. Simple , unique and a nod to franchise history.

[ShaftDu]

still curious why they ain't wearing them at Houston, but lets not start that debate.

[Firefly]

still curious why they ain't wearing them at Houston, but lets not start that debate.

Academy, a local outdoor/sports store chain, has racks and racks of Oiler gear. It all looks great but I had some mixed feelings just looking at it. On one hand, it's the team I grew up with. On the other, I don't want to support the Titans.

....but I figure as long as it says "Houston Oilers" I should be able to wear it. And if it's a bootleg, I won't be giving Bud Adams any money.

[Brave-Bird 08]

I am so pumped to see the NFL really embrace throwbacks like the mlb and nba have.

cant way to see my birds with red lids for the first time in my entire life!

[BBTV]

Ugh. Of all the Oilers helmets, they had to pick the worst one IMO. The late-day white one is far superior, as is the dark-silver one. I get that they're honoring a specific year, but that helmet just looks... cheap, and "plasticy". Sorry, can't think of a better descriptor.

[DallasSports]

I just wish "Columbia blue and red" was used by one pro team. I think those colors look terrific together.

[mmejia]

If a division rival of the Texans took the field in this:

I think I'd have a massive coronary on shear confusion as to how to react.

[John in KY]

Ugh. Of all the Oilers helmets, they had to pick the worst one IMO. The late-day white one is far superior, as is the dark-silver one. I get that they're honoring a specific year, but that helmet just looks... cheap, and "plasticy". Sorry, can't think of a better descriptor.

Frankly as do most of these AFL throwbacks - most teams had better uniforms later on in the 1960s than their early ones. Of course, I think it is appropriate to honor these uniforms to show how far they came from low-budget upstarts to full partners in the established league in what - 6 years (merger announced in the 1966 off-season).

Not AFL, but I'm also looking forward to the Atlanta throwbacks - I was alive but I just don't remember them in red helmets and black jerseys; my memories start with their first red jersey look (red helmets/red jerseys/white pants at home).

[BlueSky]

I am so pumped to see the NFL really embrace throwbacks like the mlb and nba have.

cant way to see my birds with red lids for the first time in my entire life!

Somebody said they're wearing them against N.O. I soooo wish the Saints would wear theirs in that game.

BTW, with the Titans' throwbacks we'll see one of the best and most underrated sports logos of all time:

Clean, simple, and an absolutely perfect match to the nickname and city. Classic. Personally I agree that the silver helmet is much better than the one they're wearing but seeing as it's to honor the AFL's inaugural season, it's all good.

Found this pic of a '71 Oilers jersey. Have to love the nameplate, looks like something a 15-year-old's mom did for him.

[TFoA]

I am so pumped to see the NFL really embrace throwbacks like the mlb and nba have.

cant way to see my birds with red lids for the first time in my entire life!

Somebody said they're wearing them against N.O. I soooo wish the Saints would wear theirs in that game.

Agreed, that'd be too awesome. Hopefully the Saints tell the NFL the same thing that they told them the last time they wore those alts: " that "let us know in advance what you're wearing" nonsense, we wear what we want, baby!"