Bills confirm new uniform for 2011

[TruColor]

^ Where the hell did they come up with those color names from??

Those are the color descriptions that Pantone gives its textile colors. Except of course, the "NFL Midnight Navy" which is a custom Reebok color.

Neither the NFL nor the teams themselves probably even know that those colors have those labels.

I think they're kinda funny. Heh.

[ARTnSocal]

I've looked at so many color charts in the past, and what I noticed most is there's so many different versions of Royal Blue.

For anyone to think or say the BILLS had worn the same Royal Blue from 1970-2001 is so misleading because they've changed the shade of the Royal Blue so many times between the OJ, Joe Cribbs, Jim Kelly, and late 90s era's ....

As a 40+ year follower of the BILLS, I'm just glad we went back to a more medium shade of blue, associated in the Royal category. I'm judging the game-worn set that the Marines modeled (and not for retail sale) as to what we'll be seeing come the Fall, and I'm totally fine with the amount of dark blue used in that scheme. The alumni jersey numbers were another story, but even if so it just takes a bit of getting used to.

My only MAJOR issues are ... where are damn BLUE pants (for white jerseys) ... which ARE a part of the new set. I don't want us weariing white pants with white jerseys, unless it were a once in a great while thing. The fans are already making more than enough noise about that, as are some of the players via tweets. I expect them to pop 'em out once the season starts. I very much wanted a light-gray mask so am really happy. During the Knox-Cribbs era of the very early 80s it just didn't work when wearing the blue jerseys, just as it didn't work with the red helmets in '84/'85/ and '86 ....

My only other thing is I'd prefer that the sleeve stripes be more level (like GB) rather than angular (lower 'em), and that could easily be reversed in 2012 when NIKE comes and puts their logo above the stripes rather than below them.

Minor things ... I could have done w/out the logo above the player names, but that's something that may very well grow on me. The word-mark getting a slight-trimming will take getting used to too.

If for some reason we wear white mono for some road games, it to me looks alot better IF they are wearing black shoes, like we did against the OILERS/TITANS and PATRIOTS in 2009 for AFL-50.

All in all I'm so happy with the change back to the 'storied' look which the younger generations never really got to really experience, where many of their main issue is they grew up with red helmets so it's a radical change for them with the white helmet, whereas the other generations watched us with both helmets.

They supposedly added something to the new white helmet to make them really bright when in the sun and under bright lights.

Those who feel the BILLS have improved just because the '02-'10 set was so bad I don't agree with .... just please ............ and for the LOVE OF PETE .. (as Lou Saban used to say) blue pants have gotta be worn with the white jersey,

[hawk36]

That blue is BLUE! lol, very bright. That navy border on the road numbers needs to go.

But if they removed the navy border, the "kids these days" wouldn't think they were cool and they wouldn't sell any merchandise

[TruColor]

I've looked at so many color charts in the past, and what I noticed most is there's so many different versions of Royal Blue.

For anyone to think or say the BILLS had worn the same Royal Blue from 1970-2001 is so misleading because they've changed the shade of the Royal Blue so many times between the OJ, Joe Cribbs, Jim Kelly, and late 90s era's ....

As a 40+ year follower of the BILLS, I'm just glad we went back to a more medium shade of blue, associated in the Royal category. I'm judging the game-worn set that the Marines modeled (and not for retail sale) as to what we'll be seeing come the Fall, and I'm totally fine with the amount of dark blue used in that scheme. The alumni jersey numbers were another story, but even if so it just takes a bit of getting used to.

My only MAJOR issues are ... where are damn BLUE pants (for white jerseys) ... which ARE a part of the new set. I don't want us weariing white pants with white jerseys, unless it were a once in a great while thing. The fans are already making more than enough noise about that, as are some of the players via tweets. I expect them to pop 'em out once the season starts. I very much wanted a light-gray mask so am really happy. During the Knox-Cribbs era of the very early 80s it just didn't work when wearing the blue jerseys, just as it didn't work with the red helmets in '84/'85/ and '86 ....

My only other thing is I'd prefer that the sleeve stripes be more level (like GB) rather than angular (lower 'em), and that could easily be reversed in 2012 when NIKE comes and puts their logo above the stripes rather than below them.

Minor things ... I could have done w/out the logo above the player names, but that's something that may very well grow on me. The word-mark getting a slight-trimming will take getting used to too.

If for some reason we wear white mono for some road games, it to me looks alot better IF they are wearing black shoes, like we did against the OILERS/TITANS and PATRIOTS in 2009 for AFL-50.

All in all I'm so happy with the change back to the 'storied' look which the younger generations never really got to really experience, where many of their main issue is they grew up with red helmets so it's a radical change for them with the white helmet, whereas the other generations watched us with both helmets.

They supposedly added something to the new white helmet to make them really bright when in the sun and under bright lights.

Those who feel the BILLS have improved just because the '02-'10 set was so bad I don't agree with .... just please ............ and for the LOVE OF PETE .. (as Lou Saban used to say) blue pants have gotta be worn with the white jersey,

...

The print version of the Bills' Royal Blue hasn't changed since 1980 or so - and that includes the prior set to the new set. In textile/fabric terms, there was a change between 2001 and 2002. But, since the NFL only began supplying Textile values in 1997, I can't speak to previous years. I would guess however, that there probably have been some subtle shifts between the different manufacturers and the like.

In addition - I will say that the official 2011 Bills guides (logosheets, on-field Style Guides) show Royal Blue pants.

[ARTnSocal]

It's great that you deleted the helmet image I had in my post .... I wish others would delete them when replying to other posts w/ images ...

I always make it a practice to that too (unless it's a much older post I'm replying to), it makes me dizzy seeing the same image over and over.

Nice one Mr ColorWerx!

[andrewharrington]

Well, the stripes ARE level, as in, they are parallel to the sleeve cuffs, but the entire sleeve is angled in comparison to the body of the jersey.

I don't think Nike will be changing the positioning of the logo. The location is mandated in the on-field style guide that the NFL releases.

[ARTnSocal]

Andrew ... I don't see how you feel the shoulder stripes are level and not angular ...

on the Marine in # 11 ... the stripes are on like on a 45° angle upward (Reebok logo below the stripes) .....

when you look at the throwbacks on # 22 Fred Jackson the stripes are more level (Reebok logo above the stripes)

That's what I have an issue with ...

Kinda like the NY JETS logo from the late 60's, it was pointed and the helmet decal was mounted on an angle, whereas now it's oval-shaped and mounted level on the helmet

Other issue I mentioned prior was the NFL shield, it appears to be below the front-centre of the collar, rather than directly on it. It makes the word-mark rather low IMO.

[spockEars]

Andrew ... I don't see how you feel the shoulder stripes are level and not angular ...

Well, the stripes ARE level, as in, they are parallel to the sleeve cuffs, but the entire sleeve is angled in comparison to the body of the jersey.

[ARTnSocal]

spock Ears .... The sleeve cuffs were never an issue that I had brought up ...only how the stripes were mounted, and that it could of been avoided if the Reebok logo had been flip-flopped to above the stripes rather than below.

[LEWJ]

They were so close to making a beautiful set.

Only things they could have done to make this a win in my book:

-Blue facemask

-Matching stripes (pants/helmet match jersey striping)

Without those changes, it's an improvement but sometimes I wonder why teams don't think about the inconsistencies they are creating.

Maybe I'm just a bit OCD.

[Sport]

They blew it and everyone's right, they're so close.

- no navy. It's like they didn't learn their lesson from the last uniforms. One blue, that's all you need. Pick one and stick with it.

- I can go either way on the facemask, but I'd prefer a blue one.

- the sleeve stripes bother me because I know they're trying to replicate the stripes of uniforms past which were not angled.

[spockEars]

spock Ears .... The sleeve cuffs were never an issue that I had brought up ...only how the stripes were mounted, and that it could of been avoided if the Reebok logo had been flip-flopped to above the stripes rather than below.

I know the sleeve cuffs weren't an issue for you. I was just pulling out the part in his post that answers why he feels they are level. That's all.

It's not level to the ground, but if someone is using the sleeve cuff as the baseline then the stripes are level using that method.

When they were designing these I guess they decided to make sure there was the same amount of white space from the sleeve cuff to the bottom stripe all around the sleeve.

The 49ers stripes are somewhat related to this "angled stripe" issue. They went with stripes that were "level" but ended up cutting off part of the stripes because the sleeve cuffs aren't parallel with the stripes. Of course that's not an issue the Bills would run into because their stripes are higher up on the sleeves.

[BlueSky]

Andrew ... I don't see how you feel the shoulder stripes are level and not angular ...

on the Marine in # 11 ... the stripes are on like on a 45° angle upward (Reebok logo below the stripes) .....

when you look at the throwbacks on # 22 Fred Jackson the stripes are more level (Reebok logo above the stripes)

That's what I have an issue with ...

Kinda like the NY JETS logo from the late 60's, it was pointed and the helmet decal was mounted on an angle, whereas now it's oval-shaped and mounted level on the helmet

Other issue I mentioned prior was the NFL shield, it appears to be below the front-centre of the collar, rather than directly on it. It makes the word-mark rather low IMO.

Agreed, the Bills look almost like they were going for a shoulder stripe and missed. In fact, what these look exactly like is a youth replica Colts jersey where they can't do the stripes on the shoulders.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

i give these uniforms a ****1/2*

points off for gray face mask, lack of blue pants and Navy trim.

Honestly the only thing that actually bothers me about the set is the gray face mask. Lack of blue pants don't bother me because they will release a pair in the future as an alternate. Navy trim is barely noticeable and really doesn't take away from the design. I even like the stripe placement as it gives it a unique but not horrible look.

honestly aside from minor issues, i really don't know why this is getting so much hate. people wanted a more traditional look and they gave us a traditional look and it's a much welcomed departure from the last set they had.

[JohnnySeoul]

It's not that bad.

[WSU151]

The 49ers stripes are somewhat related to this "angled stripe" issue. They went with stripes that were "level" but ended up cutting off part of the stripes because the sleeve cuffs aren't parallel with the stripes. Of course that's not an issue the Bills would run into because their stripes are higher up on the sleeves.

Those 49ers stripes look just awful. Look how much red on the sleeve is unused. The stripes could go all the way around, but instead, they decided for the truncated look for some stupid reason.

[tBBP]

I'm all for preserving history and tradition and all that jazz--when it fits properly within the overall aesthetic--but that Niners photo and what the Bills just pulled off, combined with the direction "innovative uniform technology" has been and is taking, just lends more credence to a thought that's been brewing in my mind for quite a while now:

Its 2011. It might just be time to let the whole sleeve stripe thing go.

I get it, its an element of traditional uniform design that's stuck around, and in some cases has even been revived over the years--but these latest incarnations are just proving that the ever-shrinking amount of real estate to even fit stripes onto just isn't conducive to maintaining just for the sake of doing so. Look it--there's plenty of teams in the League w/ traditionally-designed (or based) uniforms whose jerseys have no stripes--the Saints, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Redskins, et al. They all used to have them, but not anymore (well, the Redskins is an iffy one--they ve pretty much been relegated to cuff trim now), and it doesn't detract from the overall aesthetic. Really, where I'm getting at with this is what will happen when Nike or whoever takes over the uniform contract after them keeps developing this new technology (like Rbk & adidas is now with the shrinkwrap jerseys), which already restrict use of "sleeve" space--and then it comes time to outfit the Packers, Browns, Steelers, Lions, et al using this new technology. We all saw what TechFit/shrinkwrap did to the Colts' uniforms (and Packers, for the couple players that had them)--had those stripes looking all kinds of to' up. That's really what I'm curious about moving forward with this whole sleeve stripe thing. Not saying Swoosh Inc. can't find a way to make it work, but I also ain't finna hold my breath about it, either.

[JohnnySeoul]

I'm all for preserving history and tradition and all that jazz--when it fits properly within the overall aesthetic--but that Niners photo and what the Bills just pulled off, combined with the direction "innovative uniform technology" has been and is taking, just lends more credence to a thought that's been brewing in my mind for quite a while now:

Its 2011. It might just be time to let the while sleeve stripe thing go.

I get it, its an element of traditional uniform design that's stuck around, and in some cases has even been revived over the years--but if these (being the Niners and Bills) are the lengths to which teams--and NFL Properties--are going to go to preserve them, by making them look more unnatural, that just means its time to let the sleeping dog die. Look it--there's plenty of teams in the League w/ traditionally-designed (or based) uniforms whose jerseys have no stripes--the Saints, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Redskins, et al. They all used to have them, but not anymore (well, the Redskins is an iffy one--they ve pretty much been relegated to cuff trim now), and it doesn't detract from the overall aesthetic. Really, where I'm getting at with this is what will happen when Nike or whoever takes over the uniform contract after them keeps developing this new technology (like Rbk & adidas is now with the shrinkwrap jerseys), which already restrict use of "sleeve" space--and then it comes time to outfit the Packers, Browns, Steelers, Lions, et al using this new technology. We all saw what TechFit/shrinkwrap did to the Colts' uniforms (and Packers, for the couple players that had them)--had those stripes looking all kinds of to' up. That's really what I'm curious about moving forward with this whole sleeve stripe thing. Not saying Swoosh Inc. can't find a way to make it work, but I also ain't finna hold my breath about it, either.

It all comes down to having the proper angle for the on-field jersey. The Packers, Steelers, Browns, Vikings (alternate), Lions, Cowboys, and Bears all pull off the super-stretchy on-field uniforms without any major issues.

[Billy B]

The Steelers have no major issues? I think most people would agree that their sleeve stripes translate worst onto a modern jersey cut. The rest of those teams aren't perfect, but they make it work for the most part. A lot of the time, the Bears only squeeze two stripes onto the jersey then leave the last last stripe for the jersey cuff. They'd be okay if they just moved the numbers up to the shoulders, though.

[BrandMooreArt]

good post Buc.

for any modern rebrand i would definitely suggest teams do away with sleeve stripes. still, what we have now with the Steelers and such is acceptable. those stripes are such a huge part of the identity, you cant just drop them completely