"Classic" vs "Dated" NFL uniforms

[DeFrank]

I don't see how this is any better than Reebok's NFL jerseys as far as hand

ling the stripes goes.

Did the Steelers and Buccaneers have sex or something???

Literally LMAO!

POTD?

Seconded! Buc check your PMs btw.

[scottysprings]

Dated:

As much as I prefer the powder blues, I gotta disagree. These are about as timeless as a football uniform can get. The current navys would've been much more appropriate here.

I feel like offset-outlined numbers are the opposite of timeless. They look good on some jerseys but they aren't as timeless as a solid or outlined block.

[Jamikel]

There are modern, contemporary ways to do traditional stripes. I find the Bears uniforms to look pretty streamlined and modern, while the Packers look more dated to me. Maybe the sleek, dark helmet has something to do with that, but I think the main thing is how well the stripes on the sleeves and socks coordinate with the helmet logo. Same scale and pattern. That sort of thing can really bring a set together to look very refined and contemporary.

I'd say just the opposite. I think the Packers did a perfect job of updating their look when they reduced the number of stripes on their jerseys. And the Bears are even worse than the Steelers (if that's possible) about how they handle their sleeve stripes. Half the time you can't even see the Bears' sleeve stripes because they still insist on cramming both the number and stripes onto the sleeve.

[tBBP]

^ That's true, but...the Bears are also pretty smart about how they handle those stripes. They still do three, but the third is on the sleeve cuff itself, and several Bears players, most notably Urlacher & Briggs, actually wear jerseys w/ sleeves tailored to enclose the edges of their shoulder pads, which is about as close to a "sleeve" as we gon' get in the NFL these days. The Steelers on the other hand....eh, let's not get into that.

[Drakonius26]

^ That's true, but...the Bears are also pretty smart about how they handle those stripes. They still do three, but the third is on the sleeve cuff itself, and several Bears players, most notably Urlacher & Briggs, actually wear jerseys w/ sleeves tailored to enclose the edges of their shoulder pads, which is about as close to a "sleeve" as we gon' get in the NFL these days. The Steelers on the other hand....eh, let's not get into that.

Exactly, even the Steelers "authentic" jersey sleeves look like they were put together at a thrift store, and painted on, which is a shame because prior to their "upgrade" in 1996, they had some of the best uniforms that the NFL had to offer.

I'm not sure about the hatred for the Packers though, because they look a hell of a lot better than teams like the Steelers, Giants (road uniforms), Colts, and to a lesser extent Bears whose historical looks have been just destroyed by reebok.

[BBTV]

I'm not seeing how Reebok "destroyed" anything. Technology changes and evolves, and it's the manufacturer's duty to come up with the highest-performing materials and cuts. Teams could still mandate that their players must wear a legitimate sleeve, and Reebok would comply (some QBs do wear legit sleeves still) but no team would ever do that, because the players obviously feel more comfortable in the sleeveless jerseys.

You can blame Reebok for not trying harder to create templates that would be more accommodating for the Colts and maybe a couple of other teams, but that's about it.

[TheOldRoman]

Probably about the millionth time this has been brought up, but you'll never get all the players (or even a majority of them) to wear the under sleeves, which would result in an even worse problem than everyone having crappy looking stripes; half the players would have stripes and half of them would have bare arms.

Eventually some manufacturer will look into making the entire sleeve out of Under Armour-type material. The undersleeve thing is inspired, but it still doesn't look right. The sleeves and shoulders have been different than the body of the jerseys for a long time, so switch the sleeves and shoulders over to spandex material and have the sleeves go halfway down the bicep.

[Drakonius26]

I'm not seeing how Reebok "destroyed" anything. Technology changes and evolves, and it's the manufacturer's duty to come up with the highest-performing materials and cuts. Teams could still mandate that their players must wear a legitimate sleeve, and Reebok would comply (some QBs do wear legit sleeves still) but no team would ever do that, because the players obviously feel more comfortable in the sleeveless jerseys.

You can blame Reebok for not trying harder to create templates that would be more accommodating for the Colts and maybe a couple of other teams, but that's about it.

And that's exactly what I'm saying, the templates are extremely sub-par, including those for the 49ers as well. If they want to have more comfortable and technologically-sound uniforms, then by all means, that's fine by me. However, someone in the design department should've made the process of transferring the historical looks of those teams a lot easier, because some of them are destroyed/look like a joke.

[jephweiser]

chiefs need an update badly.

As a Chiefs fan, I'm biased but I disagree with the "badly" part. They need a few minor tweeks that would make them feel more modern and tie the uniform together. Before their recent update, the Vikings had the same layout as the Chiefs. I feel the current Vikings uni's are terrible and would hate to see the Chiefs go that route.

I would like to see the sleeve stripes eliminated or tweeked. That looks dated to me. I also would like to see some yellow added to the helmet. A yellow stripe or yellow background in the arrowhead, or even yellow outlining around the arrowhead. Like the Cowboys and there mishmashed shades of pants, jerseys and helmets..........the Chiefs could benefit from making the helmet consistent with the rest of the uni.

As a lifelong Chiefs fan and someone who used to work in the front office, I'll tell you that we will probably never see an update. They view there uniforms as classic and have never changed them in any substantial way. The Hunt family is all about the legacy of the AFL and the tradition of the Chiefs. They are quite proud of the fact that they have never changed.

[Jungle Jim]

Add me to the list who loved the Fouts-era Chargers uniforms. I hated when they changed the bolts to white on the helmet, and I honestly don't get the love for a yellow bolt on a white helmet. Two light shades don't complement one another very well, IMO.

[oldschoolvikings]

Classic:

Dated:

The '95 double star uniforms were, by far, the ugliest uniforms the Cowboys ever wore. They looked dated by the end of the season, not to mention the reversed out logo on the blue jersey. The white star works when it's a solid star, not so much with the current double outline star.

Thank you. It absolutley boggles my mind how much love some people have for that horrific double-star uniform. IMO its a look only Jerry Jones would love.

[29texan]

chiefs need an update badly.

No they don't....

[DrAwesomeberry]

Classic:

Dated:

The '95 double star uniforms were, by far, the ugliest uniforms the Cowboys ever wore. They looked dated by the end of the season, not to mention the reversed out logo on the blue jersey. The white star works when it's a solid star, not so much with the current double outline star.

Thank you. It absolutley boggles my mind how much love some people have for that horrific double-star uniform. IMO its a look only Jerry Jones would love.

The only way that works when the stars on the shoulders don't have outlines, like the 1960 uniforms.

[andrewharrington]

There are modern, contemporary ways to do traditional stripes. I find the Bears uniforms to look pretty streamlined and modern, while the Packers look more dated to me. Maybe the sleek, dark helmet has something to do with that, but I think the main thing is how well the stripes on the sleeves and socks coordinate with the helmet logo. Same scale and pattern. That sort of thing can really bring a set together to look very refined and contemporary.

I'd say just the opposite. I think the Packers did a perfect job of updating their look when they reduced the number of stripes on their jerseys. And the Bears are even worse than the Steelers (if that's possible) about how they handle their sleeve stripes. Half the time you can't even see the Bears' sleeve stripes because they still insist on cramming both the number and stripes onto the sleeve.

I see what you're saying, but I'm not taking into account the execution of the design elements. I'm talking about the visual design itself. The Bears look much more elegant and modern with their sleek blue helmet and facemask, coordinated stripes and logo while the Packers employ a visual that is more along the lines of a typical, expected 1960s design. The Bears design is just more timeless than the Packers, in my opinion.

[andrewharrington]

Probably about the millionth time this has been brought up, but you'll never get all the players (or even a majority of them) to wear the under sleeves, which would result in an even worse problem than everyone having crappy looking stripes; half the players would have stripes and half of them would have bare arms.

Eventually some manufacturer will look into making the entire sleeve out of Under Armour-type material. The undersleeve thing is inspired, but it still doesn't look right. The sleeves and shoulders have been different than the body of the jerseys for a long time, so switch the sleeves and shoulders over to spandex material and have the sleeves go halfway down the bicep.

In theory, from a visual perspective (and in my opinion, from a functional one as well), this would be the way to go. a super-tight 3/4 sleeve would eliminate the arm hole as a grabbing point for linemen and tacklers as well as allow for sleeve stripe elements. However, I think sleeves are like short shorts in basketball. No matter what you tell the players about how they might improve mobility and performance, I just don't see the players ever agreeing to go back to sleeves in any major form. One can only hope, though.

[rxmc89]

chiefs need an update badly.

Completely agree. It doesn't have to be a major overhaul, but they need to at least make some minor tweaks to modernize their uniforms so they don't look so outdated.

[rxmc89]

It's a tough call...but

dated:

classic:

No, it's the other way around.

[Jamikel]

^ That's true, but...the Bears are also pretty smart about how they handle those stripes. They still do three, but the third is on the sleeve cuff itself, and several Bears players, most notably Urlacher & Briggs, actually wear jerseys w/ sleeves tailored to enclose the edges of their shoulder pads, which is about as close to a "sleeve" as we gon' get in the NFL these days.

The fact that the Bears' sleeve stripes depend on a jersey cut that most NFL players don't use anymore to look good is just further evidence of their dated-ness, IMO.

[Jamikel]

It's a tough call...but

dated:

classic:

No, it's the other way around.

You're both half-right.

[BlueSky]

I'm a little freaked that anyone would call the Cowboys' Aikman-era double-stars classic. If only they'd worn the pants too.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that those were an actual pants design for the 'boys but they never wore them (obviously, or we'd all have clawed our eyes out). Anybody know the real story?

Anyway, in my mind, what makes something classic, at least in part, is seeing a team on the field and immediately knowing who it is. Even without overall continuity (i.e. the Giants have worn other designs), there's something very cool - not boring - about this:

Then

Now

The materials and a few details may have evolved (and Dallas needs to match those colors) but overall, there's no question who's who in either of those eras.

BTW, does the 'ny' helmet logo in that lower-case font have some significance for the city or was it just something the Giants came up with?