NFL Changes 2014+

[aawagner011]

One point of discussion I haven't seen yet...isn't the current Nike contract good through 2016? I thought it was a five year deal that started in 2012. They are discussing a possible Nike program for TNF games in the last year of the contract. This insinuates Nike will re-up.

[phutmasterflex]

It's hard to picture teams like Green Bay or Oakland indulging in that kind of nonsense. Like the Yankees' response to those horrific and silly TATC uniforms, I'm sure they'll just opt out.

The reality of the situation is that I can see the Raiders having a chrome helmet or chrome facemask at the very least. They might be the only team in the NFL that can get away with it.

Something like this:

I wouldn't be opposed to this for one game. As long as they keep the rest of the uniform pretty much the same.

Granted IF the Raiders are worth featuring on TNF.

Well given the theme this season of TNF games sucking, I think we got a good chance of being in a game next year.

Actually, we face the Chiefs this year on Thursday. Oh boy.

All teams get at least one nationally televised game. If your team is not good enough to warrant a Sunday or Monday night game, you get a Thursday night game. The Raiders are not a good team. They will get a Thursday night game

[TheOldRoman]

I would assume now that TNF started in week 1 this year for the first time then all 32 teams would have to appear in the 16 TNF games

All 32 teams play 1 Thursday game already. 13 Thursday night games, plus the 3 games on T-giving.

That will be the extent of TNF for years to come, with only 32 teams. Keeps everything equal so all 32 teams have to put up with a crappy Thursday game. No more and no less.

They expanded it this year. There are Thursday games weeks 1-16, with three games on Thanksgiving. A few teams (Bears and Cowboys off the top of my head) actually play two Thursday games.

[Campbellwatson2]

The Packers have already played two Thursday games

[OnWis97]

" I'm assuming these are the same nutjobs that freaked when nike was going to completely change the league when the got the contract..."

They came in guns blazing with Flywire and toilet seat collars. Then there's however much blame you want to assign to Nike for the Jags' and Bucs' uniforms. The Eagles are basically a black/white team, because Nike can't make dark green. Now, two years into their contract, an item comes up for vote that would "require" every team (since every team plays on Thursday) to wear a Nike alt. No, they're not trying to change the league at all! It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you.

And Seahawks.

Yeah, stuff's gone downhill since Nike took over. It's a sign of 1) Nike being nike, 2) the league allowing Nike to be Nike, and 3) the changing times in sports uniforms representing the manufacturer more than the team.

I know, I know, the NFL does not have to let this happen. It's true. But there is no doubt that things are getting notably worse. Sweat boxes, the Eagles green jersey fiasco, and teams drifting into clown suits. And this Thursday thing is blatant rolling over for Nike. NFL's fault but yeah, everything is changing now that Nike's got the contract. Under Reebok, sure some teams switched to some pretty lame trends (side panels, etc.) but those uniforms, outside of the logos on the sleeves, never really screamed "Reebok". Of course the players were .00001% slower, but the quality/consistency/non-clownsuitness was better.

I prefer college sports, but from a uniform perspective, I cringe at all the "look at our manufacturer" crap going on. I always appreciated pro sports not doing as much of it. And I particularly appreciated the NFL in this regard as maybe the league with the teams who had the most consistent brand (though the Jets Titan throwbacks and a few others were bad marks). But this Thursday Night thing, if true, makes the NFL definitely worse than MLB or the NHL and maybe even the NBA. And why? So we can all talk about Nike.

And let's not forget the Pro Bowl uniforms...I know, I know, the Pro Bowl sucks and who cares? Well people love football because football and some watch the Pro Bowl. And last year's looked like an Oregon scrimmage...these uniforms did not say "NFL" in any way, shape, or form. Maybe it was a test case for this Thursday debacle? I dunno, but the NFL is diluting its teams' brands. They are to blame, but it started with this Nike contract. Right now we have three "Team Nikes" (Seattle, Tampa, Jacksonville) and I guess everyone'll get to be "Team Nike" at least once. I hope to see Bills/Pats (or one vs. Giants), Jets/Eagles, or some other matchup with similar colors; it'll take us a while to figure out who's who. But we'll know who dressed 'em.

[oldschoolvikings]

It's hard to picture teams like Green Bay or Oakland indulging in that kind of nonsense. Like the Yankees' response to those horrific and silly TATC uniforms, I'm sure they'll just opt out.

I dont get why traditional teams can't have a little "fun" with a uniform once in a while? If it's one game in one season, who cares?

I agree with this, as there is something to be said for "mixing it up" a little...but, the problem is that instead of designing tasteful, reasonable, well-thought-out alternates that respectfully represent the team (think Minnesota Vikings), Nike will most likely force insane "upgrades" that wreck a team's identity and represent nothing aside from Nike's "innovation" (think Tampa Bay Bucs).

Just like real life, "fun" must be balanced with reason. It's probably "fun" to hop in a car and drive like Need For Speed, but that doesn't make it a good idea. It's "fun" to play around with traditional looks, but that doesn't make it a good idea to go hog-wild with them. I don't trust Nike to understand that when designing these hypothetical "special" alternates, therefore I'd rather not see it come to pass.

To be fair, it most likely would depend on what the teams ask for. I'm sure some teams would ask for the full Nike treatment, whereas a team like the Packers or Giants would probably ask for a throwback or fauxback.

Hell, maybe teams could use this proposed program as a way of testing fan reactions to potential redesigns. Maybe if the current Jaguars and Bucs uniforms had been unveiled in advance as special alternates on a Thursday night game, the outcry would force Nike to come up with something more reasonable and palatable to fans.

If they did this the Seahawks wouldn't have their jerseys that are now so popular. Some designs take time to win people over, also just because people on here don't like a design doesn't mean thats the general public view.

So, if the NFL and Nike had an outlet for their crap, maybe we'd be less likely to subjected to it on a 5 year basis? That would be a silver lining, although it seems a little like wishful thinking.

I do believe that if Seattle, Tampa, and Jacksonville had brought out their current garbage looks on a "special one-time" deal, the majority of fans of those teams would've not-so-politely requested those looks disappear. It's understandable how, once they've gotten used to seeing a bad uniform for a while, and knowing you're stuck with it (especially if you're a big fan of a team) you can try to convince yourself it isn't that bad.

Don't kid yourself... the "popularity" of the Seahawks' jersey is 99.99% about the Superbowl. If they had lost in that outfit, they'd still be laughed at the way we're going to laugh at Tampa and Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.

[TheOldRoman]

The Seahawks set has grown on me in a way. I think if you change a few things (only wear gray pants, incorporate green into the pants striping, make the Nike box green on the road jersey, outline shoulder numbers in green), and then squint really hard, they would be decent (but still far from a top-ten uni). I wouldn't put them in the same class as the Jaguars and the Buccaneers. Still, if the best thing you can say about a uniform is "if you changed a few things they wouldn't be terrible," the design isn't very good.

[guest23]

" I'm assuming these are the same nutjobs that freaked when nike was going to completely change the league when the got the contract..."

They came in guns blazing with Flywire and toilet seat collars. Then there's however much blame you want to assign to Nike for the Jags' and Bucs' uniforms. The Eagles are basically a black/white team, because Nike can't make dark green. Now, two years into their contract, an item comes up for vote that would "require" every team (since every team plays on Thursday) to wear a Nike alt. No, they're not trying to change the league at all! It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you.

I suppose it's a matter or taste as I consider all of the nike resdesigns far superior (even the bucs) to any resdesign in the reebok era (vikings/cards/falcons etc.) Funny how the alarmists love to blame the swoosh yet every single move their new uniform partner has made ultimately was approved by nfl properties and ultimately ownership. Their only true failure is not having the eagles' green ready at the beginning of the season. The collar issue was clearly dealt with on a team by team basis as there are examples of workarounds so you have the teams to blame for that.

Yet the reactionary alarmists love to blame the swoosh for every bad design when it's a completely shared process. If you're going to blame the swoosh you have to blame the shield as well. So go wild with speculation and freak out over the rumor that the packers tnf '16 uni is going to be platnium with neon yellow accents, and hologram numbers.

[Gothamite]

I suppose it's a matter or taste as I consider all of the nike resdesigns far superior (even the bucs) to any resdesign in the reebok era (vikings/cards/falcons etc.)

You just set an exceptionally low bar there.

[Gothamite]

reactionary alarmists

go wild with speculation and freak out

[nuordr]

This not a change, but it is an interesting video of how all the gear is transported from one location to another by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/behind-the-scenes-of-taking-an-nfl-team-on-the-road/

[VikWings]

I think I said it in another thread but IMO all you have to do to "fix" the Seahawks is this:

-Remove the stupid collarbone stripes and put the wordmark above numbers like normal teams.

-NEVER EVER wear Navy jerseys with Navy pants. Navy with Gray as the main home. White on Navy on Road. Gray alts with Navy pants. White pants can be kept or thrown out. Don't care either way

Just doing those 2 simple things would improve the Seahwaks drastically. Would it make them a top 10 set? No. But it would take them out of the bottom 5.

[guest23]

I suppose it's a matter or taste as I consider all of the nike resdesigns far superior (even the bucs) to any resdesign in the reebok era (vikings/cards/falcons etc.)

You just set an exceptionally low bar there.

Apparently you appointed yourself the arbiter of good design. I'll be sure to note that moving forward and follow your lead. In the meantime I'll be sure to get myself worked up over how nike is going to unilaterally transform the nfl into their corporately designed puppets. Dark dark times are ahead.

[TheOldRoman]

I suppose it's a matter or taste as I consider all of the nike resdesigns far superior (even the bucs) to any resdesign in the reebok era (vikings/cards/falcons etc.)

You just set an exceptionally low bar there.

Apparently you appointed yourself the arbiter of good design. I'll be sure to note that moving forward and follow your lead. In the meantime I'll be sure to get myself worked up over how nike is going to unilaterally transform the nfl into their corporately designed puppets. Dark dark times are ahead.

Right, so you'll read a tweet about a proposed NFL law, then react based on the hypothetical for what would happen if the teams did pass that law. It's much better than reading the tweet, assuming with no evidence that teams would just blow off the new law if they felt like it, and say that the Nike-designed uniforms would be great, anyway.

[guest23]

I suppose it's a matter or taste as I consider all of the nike resdesigns far superior (even the bucs) to any resdesign in the reebok era (vikings/cards/falcons etc.)

You just set an exceptionally low bar there.

Apparently you appointed yourself the arbiter of good design. I'll be sure to note that moving forward and follow your lead. In the meantime I'll be sure to get myself worked up over how nike is going to unilaterally transform the nfl into their corporately designed puppets. Dark dark times are ahead.

Right, so you'll read a tweet about a proposed NFL law, then react based on the hypothetical for what would happen if the teams did pass that law. It's much better than reading the tweet, assuming with no evidence that teams would just blow off the new law if they felt like it, and say that the Nike-designed uniforms would be great, anyway.

I think you're really reaching here and jumping to conclusions. I don't consider twitter a reliable source for hard news but for Rumors and Innuendo? Sure it's a great tool if you're into that. I'll wait it out until the nfl actually finalizes the program before I get my jean shorts wadded up into my ass over how nike is going to ruin the league.

I also love how you use the term "law" like there's anything legally binding when it comes to uniforms. Even the most egregious uniform offense (like slapping on unauthorized sponsors) on the part of a single club would result in a massive fine. Al Davis spent decades battling the league's "laws" and came out for the most part on top, why would fighting a uniform program be any different?

[Gothamite]

I'll wait it out until the nfl actually finalizes the program

And hopefully keep right on insulating your fellow posters in the meantime.

[TheRicSlick]

This not a change, but it is an interesting video of how all the gear is transported from one location to another by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/behind-the-scenes-of-taking-an-nfl-team-on-the-road/

I wanna see what happens in the preseason, when there's 20 extra guys on the team.

[Ben5]

I wanna see what happens in the preseason, when there's 20 extra guys on the team.

It's not that different; you just have to add 20 to everything. Some people might not have a seat between them on the flight, more bags to check and transport, but it's not that much more difficult. Some college teams will dress 60 or 65 for some road games.

I've been on a few of these road trips, albeit for college teams (and the UFL). If you want to know anything specific, let me know.

[daniel75]

If they did this the Seahawks wouldn't have their jerseys that are now so popular. Some designs take time to win people over, also just because people on here don't like a design doesn't mean thats the general public view.

So, if the NFL and Nike had an outlet for their crap, maybe we'd be less likely to subjected to it on a 5 year basis? That would be a silver lining, although it seems a little like wishful thinking.

I do believe that if Seattle, Tampa, and Jacksonville had brought out their current garbage looks on a "special one-time" deal, the majority of fans of those teams would've not-so-politely requested those looks disappear. It's understandable how, once they've gotten used to seeing a bad uniform for a while, and knowing you're stuck with it (especially if you're a big fan of a team) you can try to convince yourself it isn't that bad.

Don't kid yourself... the "popularity" of the Seahawks' jersey is 99.99% about the Superbowl. If they had lost in that outfit, they'd still be laughed at the way we're going to laugh at Tampa and Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.

Is that what you do?

[mafiaman]

It's hard to picture teams like Green Bay or Oakland indulging in that kind of nonsense. Like the Yankees' response to those horrific and silly TATC uniforms, I'm sure they'll just opt out.

I dont get why traditional teams can't have a little "fun" with a uniform once in a while? If it's one game in one season, who cares?

I agree with this, as there is something to be said for "mixing it up" a little...but, the problem is that instead of designing tasteful, reasonable, well-thought-out alternates that respectfully represent the team (think Minnesota Vikings), Nike will most likely force insane "upgrades" that wreck a team's identity and represent nothing aside from Nike's "innovation" (think Tampa Bay Bucs).

Just like real life, "fun" must be balanced with reason. It's probably "fun" to hop in a car and drive like Need For Speed, but that doesn't make it a good idea. It's "fun" to play around with traditional looks, but that doesn't make it a good idea to go hog-wild with them. I don't trust Nike to understand that when designing these hypothetical "special" alternates, therefore I'd rather not see it come to pass.

To be fair, it most likely would depend on what the teams ask for. I'm sure some teams would ask for the full Nike treatment, whereas a team like the Packers or Giants would probably ask for a throwback or fauxback.

Hell, maybe teams could use this proposed program as a way of testing fan reactions to potential redesigns. Maybe if the current Jaguars and Bucs uniforms had been unveiled in advance as special alternates on a Thursday night game, the outcry would force Nike to come up with something more reasonable and palatable to fans.

If they did this the Seahawks wouldn't have their jerseys that are now so popular. Some designs take time to win people over, also just because people on here don't like a design doesn't mean thats the general public view.

Don't kid yourself... the "popularity" of the Seahawks' jersey is 99.99% about the Superbowl. If they had lost in that outfit, they'd still be laughed at the way we're going to laugh at Tampa and Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.

I was in the middle of oil country this past Monday (Dickinson ND) visiting with some old high school classmates. In the middle of Vikings country at Players Sports Bar, the crowd absolutely erupted when the first TD of the MNF game was scored by the Seahawks. I took a look around the place and spotted at least a dozen Seattle jerseys, most of which were #12. All those oil field NoDak transplants cannot possibly be former residents of the Emerald City.