NFL Uniform Top 32

[Gary]

Starting a NFL Uniform/Helmet(or just Uniform) Combo Tournament. Doing this another place and with respect to Chris and with his blessing I could post here. I will not post a link or use any other that would make it obvious as I do not want this deleted again.

Now with 8 of our top members, we have compiled the tournament pairings. Using 4 Divisions per Conference, we thought this would be fun. Now on with the pairings.

NFC Conference

Sanders Division(North)

1 Green Bay Packers vs 4 Atlanta Falcons, 2 Washington Redskins vs New Orleans Saints

Rice Division(West)

1 Detroit Lions vs 4 Seattle Seahawks, 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs 3 Carolina Panthers

Sapp Division(South)

1 Minnesota Vikings vs 4 Dallas Cowboys, 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs St. Louis Rams

Smith Division(East)

1 Chicago Bears vs 4 Arizona Cardinals, 2 San Francisco 49ers vs 3 New York Giants

AFC Conference

Jackson Division(West)

1 Oakland Raiders vs 4 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2 Houston Texans vs 3 Denver Broncos

Bradshaw Division(North)

1 Kansas City Chiefs vs 4 Cincinnati Bengals, 2 Buffalo Bills vs 3 Pittsburgh Steelers

Dickerson Division(South)

1 Indianapolis Colts vs 4 Baltimore Ravens, 2 New York Jets vs 3 New England Patriots

Namath Division(East)

1 Cleveland Browns vs 4 Miami Dolphins, 2 San Diego Chargers vs 3 Tennessee Titans

[Gary]

Every Week I will post a new Division using Bracketeer. I will be doing this until Super Bowl Sunday when we crown a new Champion. What are your thoughts?

Btw, if you are interested who the panel is.

raysox, GFB, Infrared41, Atomic, Gary, DrDougFresh, LMU, and CS85

[Jungle Jim]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

[infrared41]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

Turns out the panel doesn't have much to do with this thing.

[OnWis97]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

Judging by their "4" seed, it does not look like that's what is going to happen

[wonderbread]

what is your method for picking divisions and seeds, why not just use the current divisions and in terms of seeds just have it be a round robin to figure out the champion from each division and then round robin for each conference and then a final btw conference champs

[Jungle Jim]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

Turns out the panel doesn't have much to do with this thing.

I don't understand.

[infrared41]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

Turns out the panel doesn't have much to do with this thing.

I don't understand.

Our lists have no bearing on seedings, etc. It's a 32 team tournament. Since all teams made it, our rankings of said teams are irrelevant. If it helps, those of us on the panel have no idea what our role is in this thing.

For example: I ranked the Bengals in the low 20's but that ranking does nothing to hurt their chances. I ranked the Bills in the top 5 but that does nothing to help their chances. In short, it seems the panel ranked the teams for no apparent reason.

[djam2410]

Sounds interesting. It should generate plenty of discussion here. My Bengals look like a first-round loser, unless the panel is willing to look at their helmets and stop there.

Turns out the panel doesn't have much to do with this thing.

I don't understand.

Our lists have no bearing on seedings, etc. It's a 32 team tournament. Since all teams made it, our rankings of said teams are irrelevant. If it helps, those of us on the panel have no idea what our role is in this thing.

For example: I ranked the Bengals in the low 20's but that ranking does nothing to hurt their chances. I ranked the Bills in the top 5 but that does nothing to help their chances. In short, it seems the panel ranked the teams for no apparent reason.

Or a team that was ranked highly will go against a team that ranked lower, increasing their chances of winning the tournament...?

Correct me if I am mistaken....

[Gary]

So instead of making this a tournament, we just made this a top 32. Without further ado your thoughts, Again the thoughts are from the panel we have chosen.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars – No real surprise here as the Jags take on the 32ndspot as the worst uniform in the league. While this does have potential, the two-tone helmets instantly kill what could be a good set.

31. Cincinnati Bengals – Opposite of the Jaguars, the Bengals have an outstanding helmet, but the mish-mash of design elements and atrocious number font on the uniforms really bungle this look up.

30. Atlanta Falcons – Great color scheme, but what’s with the vertical sleeve panels? The Falcons have a great color scheme, but a uniform simplification would do wonders for these birds of prey.

29. Baltimore Ravens – It’s the road look that hurts the Ravens (well that and the awkward placement of the ‘B’ on the left-facing helmet) as they completely downplay the purple in favor of black.

28. Tennessee Titans – The Titans could possibly have a great look…problem is that they use all the wrong color combinations. The Navy/Colombia color scheme is unique to the NFL; it’s a shame that it’s being used in the wrong capacity.

27. Denver Broncos – These uniforms really reflect the 1990’s design era… and that’s not a good thing. I don’t think even going back to the orange jerseys help the Broncos in this case as the uniforms just look outdated.

26. Seattle Seahawks – While Nike almost got the color scheme right and the number font is pretty solid, there’s just way too much going on with the Seahawks. The linked bird on the helmet looks awkward; the pants striping reminds me of a laurel instead of a feather. There’s potential here, just not sure if Nike and the Seahawks brass will realize it.

25. Arizona Cardinals – Awesome helmet. Horrible uniforms. Denver-esque pants slash + rejected Falcons jersey concept = Cardinals uniforms. Don’t even get me started on that black alternate…

24. Miami Dolphins – The uniform is well…boring. There’s so much potential for the Dolphins, however the Stormtrooper road set and grey on the helmets are killing this look. The color balance is much better on the home uniforms as aqua and white really look sharp together.

23. New England Patriots – Much like their running game, this uniform was designed by committee. Shoulder stripes, mismatched side panels and a really awful number font.

22. Dallas Cowboys – This could have very easily been in the top-10, however until they fix the multiple shades of blue (or blue-green), “America’s Team” stays in the bottom half.

21. New Orleans Saints – The Saints have a real problem: great look, great colors, and great jerseys. However, it’s their constant use of black pants that kills this set. Monochrome black at home, plus the lack of gold on the road drops the Saints to the number 21 spot.

20. St. Louis Rams – A lot of people don’t like the navy/old gold look of the Rams; they say it’s too drab. the Rams have a decent look, but the monochrome sets do more harm than good. The helmet is classic as are the shoulder Ram horn stripes, but this drab team needs to brighten up a little.

19. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers are a great example of how modern design doesn’t have to be ugly or shocking. The Slash style striping work really well in this set, as do the multiple combinations of uniforms. Still not a fan of the monochrome, however even the monochrome whites look really sharp.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers – What’s keeping this team out of the top-10 is the number font. The Steelers have a great color balance and a good, solid football-look. That number font really looks out of place on that blue-collar uniform.

17. New York Giants – M&M-looking helmet aside, the Giants transition from grey pants on the home to white really helped to clean up their look. Now if they could only add a little more blue to the roads…

16. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles have a pretty solid look and is a great modern take on a classic uniform. Many people clamor for the return to Kelly Green, however the Midnight Green currently being used still works in this case. If only they could ditch that black jersey from the set, the Eagles would fly a little higher on our rankings.

15. Houston Texans - Awesome helmet and a great overall look. Similar to the Panthers, the Texans prove that even modern design elements can be made to look good.

14. San Diego Chargers – The Chargers have had a primarily excellent uniform throughout the franchise’s history. Trying to combine multiple erasand do a modern take on it doesn’t work in this instance. The current incarnation of Chargers’ uniform has too many design elements creating a visual havoc on the field.

13. New York Jets – The Jets look is fantastic from head to toe…until you get to those monochrome uniforms. The green on green uniforms are a complete disaster while the white on white don’t showcase the green enough. Eliminate the monochromes and the Jets would more than likely rank higher on the list.

12. Cleveland Browns – I wanted this uniform to be in the top-10 so much, but you can’t overlook the Brown pants, Orange jersey and monochrome brown look. Until those are phased out, the Browns are on the outside looking in.

11. Washington Redskins – The Skins going back to the gold pants on the home uniforms was a brilliant move last season, however it looks a little out of place on the road uniforms. Ideally, a burgundy/gold and white/burgundy set would catapult this team, but for now a number 11 spot is where the Redskins rank.

10. Minnesota Vikings – The jury is still out on the matte helmets, however the current Vikings set is a huge upgrade over what was being worn last season. The black facemasks and number font hurt this set from being in the top-5.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This is one of the rare instances where just about every combination works and looks great. The monochrome whites are the only thing hurting this look…but not by much.

8. Buffalo Bills – Pretty much all of us rejoiced when the Bills went back to a classic design style instead of the navy/nickel/red mess. The Bills have a great traditional look with subtle modern touches; however, the all white monochrome hurts an otherwise fantastic set.

7. San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers are one of the few teams to have looked outstanding in all their incarnations and the current version is no exception. What hurts this look is the black on the helmet logo not being anywhere in the uniform. The mish-mash of 80′s look and 90′s logo drop the Niners to the number 7 spot.

6. Kansas City Chiefs – By adding the cherry pants back to the road look, the Chiefs catapulted to the number 6 spot on the list. The Chiefs boast a classic, solid football design from top to bottom with great color balance.

5. Detroit Lions – By far the best of the most recent updates, the Lions have an excellent balance of Honolulu Blue, Silver and Black. The black jersey and black facemask are the only deterrents from an otherwise fantastic uniform set.

4. Indianapolis Colts – Another great, classic look and the only team who looks real sharp in monochrome white for some reason. The ever-shrinking shoulder stripes are holding this uniform set from the top spot.

3. Chicago Bears – Great color balance, an awesome overall look and it even translates well onto the Orange alternate. So why number 3? The white monochrome just drags down the entire set.

2. Green Bay Packers – It’s the stuff legends are made of: solid home and road and a classic football look. The Pack ultimately holds truest definition of a football uniform. At least until compared with…

1. Oakland Raiders – The top of our lists hosts a relatively gorgeous team in any and every aspect. Uncluttered without alternates and variations, the Silver and Black look sharp on the road, at home and pretty much wherever they play.

[FUNKAFIED]

5. Detroit Lions – By far the best of the most recent updates, the Lions have an excellent balance of Honolulu Blue, Silver and Black. The black jersey and black facemask are the only deterrents from an otherwise fantastic uniform set.

The Lions dropped the black jersey when they launched their current design.

[wonderbread]

how was this ranking done? I'm clueless as to how you came up with this ranking, but it seems like you used a panel which is a flawed concept to use because it can be biased, and it is to small of a sample to get an accurate result.

[mbannon92]

The Bears don't currently wear the white monochrome. In fact, other than 2001-2003 and 2009, the team hasn't worn them regularly since 1983.

The Packers, on the other hand, look a little sloppy with the old uniform cut and the collar inconsistency from player to player.

So, based on all this I would say the Bears should be ahead of the Pack. And I'm in no way biased, of course

[Big A HG]

The Bears don't currently wear the white monochrome. In fact, other than 2001-2003 and 2009, the team hasn't worn them regularly since 1983.

The Packers, on the other hand, look a little sloppy with the old uniform cut and the collar inconsistency from player to player.

So, based on all this I would say the Bears should be ahead of the Pack. And I'm in no way biased, of course

As a Packer fan, I could argue this all day long. Either way, when we play, it's the best looking game of the year every year. Awesome uni's, outdoors, cold, a lot on the line....epic every time.