NFL Pants We Never See

[tohasbo]

I kind of like it when the side panels are done right, and flow in to the pants, but I agree that it should be done in a way that doesn't require multiple sets of the same colored pants. The NE Patriots worked this perfectly - they can wear their navy or silver pants with their white, navy, or silver jerseys.

I'd maintain that the Patriots are one of the worst offenders of mis-matched side panel-to-pant striping.

They don't flow at all. It looks like one style of striping abruptly ends and a completely different style starts.

Well played. I have been saying that since the new uniforms debuted.

[John in KY]

And I agree with the earlier premise that it makes no sense to overhaul your look and disregard one of the features of the original re-design. That's another thing that bugged me about the Broncos overhaul in '98. IIRC, they introduced blue pants with white jerseys when they were revealed, yet we never saw blue pants with the white jerseys. The only time we see blue pants is a monochrome game.

Of course, when you let Nike (which made NFL uniforms when the Broncos came out with the new set in '98) re-design your uniforms and your illogical side panel is dependant upon a similar side panel on the pants and both have to match, your uniforms are going to suck. That's why so many Nike uniforms suck. And it's ludicrous that the Broncos need two pairs of white pants because they screwed up the jersey execution.

Actually you have it backwards. Nike's "vision" for the Broncos 1997 overhaul was for monochrome blue at home and monochrome white on the road. The older (yep - my generation) players, specifically John Elway, hated the all blue look so Nike quickly whipped up the white pants with orange panels to match the blue jerseys. In this case blame the older players, not the "kids" for the need for two white pants.

Simple solution for the Broncos - make the orange alt the regular jersey (it is worn with the road white pants) and use the monochrome blue as the alt.

[BBTV]

I kind of like it when the side panels are done right, and flow in to the pants, but I agree that it should be done in a way that doesn't require multiple sets of the same colored pants. The NE Patriots worked this perfectly - they can wear their navy or silver pants with their white, navy, or silver jerseys.

I'd maintain that the Patriots are one of the worst offenders of mis-matched side panel-to-pant striping.

They don't flow at all. It looks like one style of striping abruptly ends and a completely different style starts.

Well played. I have been saying that since the new uniforms debuted.

Oh, I understand why you say that - the differences in thickness between the red piping on the jerseys vs. the red stripe on the pants (along with the white stripe outside of the red on the pants) certainly could make it look mismatched, but I guess that just never bothered me too much, since technically the navy and red on the jersey does flow into navy and red on the pants (it's just that the pants have some extra red and white.) A relatively minor tweak could fix all of this, and really make them the model of mix-and-match.

I think it's way better than the Bills, who's jersey panels are way too thick to match up with the red on the pants, considering how many other stripes they've crammed outside of the red.

[seahawk9]

If you were a organization like Arizona or Minnesota, who went to the pains to do a complete uniform re-design in the last few years and had your players model various uniform options in front of fans and media, why not actually WEAR parts of the uniform that were created?

That's something I've railed about many times. All this money and time is poured into market research and getting the colors right...and then they don't wear part of the uniform more than a couple of times. I've noticed this seems to be a problem only with NEW uniforms...there were no instances of teams ignoring part of a redesigned uniform in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. Glad I'm a Steelers fan!

You don't necessarily know that it wasn't the case back in the day. For all you know, the Steelers had black pants, white pants, and gold pants, but you just never saw two out of the three. Same with other teams. It's less likely then than it is now, because I think that a lot less effort was put in to team's looks back then, but still...

-Seahawks wearing the blue pants with the white jersey (I always liked this combo; I understand the white pants didn't look "right" with the dark jersey, but the reverse combo always looked fine).

Another example of the above. If the white pants didn't look right with the blue jerseys, then why did the Seahawks bother to go with that redesign in the first place? Who makes these boneheaded decisions...Dan Snyder??

maybe they just didn't want to "shock" people right away. Making such a radical change is shock enough, but making a change to a permenant monochrome look is a lot for fans to handle all at once, so by unveiling the blue over white, maybe that was just their way of easing people in to the change?

Of course, when you let Nike (which made NFL uniforms when the Broncos came out with the new set in '98) re-design your uniforms and your illogical side panel is dependant upon a similar side panel on the pants and both have to match, your uniforms are going to suck. That's why so many Nike uniforms suck. And it's ludicrous that the Broncos need two pairs of white pants because they screwed up the jersey execution.

Agreed. If the Broncos got rid of the side panel stripe, then they could even wear orange pants, or wear the navy blue pants with the white jersey, which they cannot do right now. The Bills and Bengals have ridiculous side panel stripes that are a crime against humanity.

I kind of like it when the side panels are done right, and flow in to the pants, but I agree that it should be done in a way that doesn't require multiple sets of the same colored pants. The NE Patriots worked this perfectly - they can wear their navy or silver pants with their white, navy, or silver jerseys.

Never understood why people think the Seahawks Blue jersey/white pant combo doesn't look right. It looks no different when teams like the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, Eagles, and Redskins wear their dark helmets with dark jerseys and white pants. It's just that people have never really seen this combo on the field on a consistant basis. Thats why it looks odd. Absoultly tired of the all blue all the time combo.

[powersurge]

Ravens--Dare I say, purple tops with black bottoms?

You mean like this?:

OH BOY! thats a HUGE white stripe! I almost forgot they wore those. I think what they have now for black pants would suit them better.

On a somewhat related note....Why didn't they ever use the swooping raven logo (the one thats on the sleeve of the jersey above) in place of the coat of emblem with wings? It would look so much better than the garbage they have now. I know we've debated this here before but it bares repeating.

[The_Admiral]

A thought regarding the Bears' all-whites: what if they did what the Giants do and maintain two pairs of the same color pants, just with different stripes? For the road white pants, instead of the thick navy-orange-navy stripes, have three thin and separated stripes to match those on the socks and sleeves. I suppose you could use the same pants at home as well, but then you'd be tinkering with the home uniform, which is kinda sacrosanct.

[Buster]

I always wondered what this would look like...they finally did it last year and I loved it.

They need to do it more often.

Also wish they had worn these 75th Anniversary throwbacks more than once...they were awesome:

[powersurge]

A thought regarding the Bears' all-whites: what if they did what the Giants do and maintain two pairs of the same color pants, just with different stripes? For the road white pants, instead of the thick navy-orange-navy stripes, have three thin and separated stripes to match those on the socks and sleeves. I suppose you could use the same pants at home as well, but then you'd be tinkering with the home uniform, which is kinda sacrosanct.

Interesting idea, though the current stripes don't really bother me that much. I actually quite like them. I'd have to google some old pics of their old look in the 60's and see what the stripe looked like to see if it needs a change. Interesting suggestion that you have. I wouldn't mind seeing a mock up of it. It could possible work.

[Blue Falcon]

That's something I've railed about many times. All this money and time is poured into market research and getting the colors right...and then they don't wear part of the uniform more than a couple of times. I've noticed this seems to be a problem only with NEW uniforms...there were no instances of teams ignoring part of a redesigned uniform in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. Glad I'm a Steelers fan!

You don't necessarily know that it wasn't the case back in the day. For all you know, the Steelers had black pants, white pants, and gold pants, but you just never saw two out of the three. Same with other teams. It's less likely then than it is now, because I think that a lot less effort was put in to team's looks back then, but still...

What I'm saying applies only to uniforms that were actually worn a certain way and then dropped for some reason. If the Steelers had black pants, they never wore them in preseason or at any other time, while the Vikes have worn their current purple pants three times and then mothballed them, just like the Cardinals red pants, or the Colts short-lived blue pants of 1995 that only saw the light of day three times.

The closest historical example I can think of is the 1989 Dolphins, who introduced aqua pants for the first time ever, wearing them for their first four games. Then they dropped them for the rest of the year. Then in 1990 they brought them back...I know the Oilers only wore the white pants with the white jersey in both 1980 and 1986, too.

[Blue Falcon]

I always wondered what this would look like...they finally did it last year and I loved it.

They need to do it more often.

You mean lose 23-6 to the Steelers at home?

Ugh, I hated those Radio Shack helmets and uniforms. Skins need to bring back the spear helmet and darker burgundy and real gold.

[darkhaha]

Saints have yet to wear their black pants this year. They're wearing the gold pants with both the white and black jerseys. I like the gold pants better with both sets.

Totally agree. And, as has been mentioned many times on these boards, if they would match the golds and use the same black-white-black striping pattern on the pants as they do on the helmets, they would have a killer set.

[powersurge]

I always wondered what this would look like...they finally did it last year and I loved it.

They need to do it more often.

Ugh, I hated those Radio Shack helmets and uniforms. Skins need to bring back the spear helmet and darker burgundy and real gold.

Now you're talkin'. Those unis are a thing of beauty. The only thing I didn't like was the weak looking small spear logo on the sleeve. They should either make it bigger and have it wrap around the sleeve (ala early Seahawks jerseys) or elminate it altogether.

[SmoothieX]

I'd like to see the Pats in a white jersey/silver pants combo, a combination they haven't utilized since their redesign in 2000.

I've always wanted to see that too. I really dislike their current road look, and can live with the homes.

I miss the Bledsoe/Parcells era look.

[jimbojohnny56]

I always liked the original Bledsoe/Parcells uni that had a feature I thought they should have kept as the uniform evolved. That feature being the pant stripes that mocked the patriot hat on the flying elvis logo. I thought that was a nice touch and really one of the first changes to original pant stripes we had been use to. I believe the Broncos then came in the following year with the Nike swoosh on the pants.

[Forged in Steel]

A while ago, someone posted a picture of the Titans kicker (forget who) wearing the light blue, white pants combo. Does anyone have that picture?

[DustDevil61]

Ravens--Dare I say, purple tops with black bottoms?

You mean like this?:

Yep, that's the one. One of the few dark-dark (purple/black) combos that could work--if there's a solid white (or gold, perhaps) stripe down the side.

[The_Admiral]

Ravens should be in all black, with as much of the Jaguars' flake treatment (but in purple, natch) as possble. Then they'd look like actual ravens, which are black with a purple sheen if the light hits 'em just right. "WELL I'VE NEER SEEN ANY BLUE AND ORANGE BEARS BEFORE" well fine but this would look really cool

[Blue Falcon]

I always liked the original Bledsoe/Parcells uni that had a feature I thought they should have kept as the uniform evolved. That feature being the pant stripes that mocked the patriot hat on the flying elvis logo. I thought that was a nice touch and really one of the first changes to original pant stripes we had been use to. I believe the Broncos then came in the following year with the Nike swoosh on the pants.

I think you meant "mimicked"...."mocked" means the pants stripe is making fun of the Flyis Elvis.

[The_Admiral]

Flying Elvis should be made fun of at every turn.

[dennisbergan]

Skins need to bring back the spear helmet and darker burgundy and real gold.

Of course they should. Those colors would kick ass and would be DIFFERENT then any other team in the league.

Maroon tops with gold pants for home.

White tops with either gold pants or maroon pants on the road.

A little monochomre maroon every-now-and-then.

Maroon helmets with a more "PC" new school Redskins logo (the spear won't work and looks too much like FSU).

Some old school colors (part of their history) with new school flair (uniform elements of 2009). Best of both worlds.

The Redskins current garb is awful. Always has been awful, even when they were winning. But as long as Lil' Danny Snyder is running the show, its not likely to ever change. He has great memories of curling up in his bed when he was a youth with his Redskin's jammies, so he doesn't want to ever change that look.