Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Ranking the NFL Uniforms, Part 2

In Part One of the NFL Uniform Rankings we covered teams ranked 32 through 16. I did have some dialogue on Twitter concerning my rankings, which was very cool. The best comment was a suggestion for another list ranking the alternates – duly noted and will make it’s appearance in the near future.

This half of the rankings were much more difficult to assess as there are numerous good looks in the NFL Uniform hierarchy. However, I needed to get very specific to distinguish amongst who were the best. As always, you can comment or tweet me at @illini3sc with your opinions.

So let’s pick up with number 15:

Tommy Two-Tones

15. Kansas City – While I love the general look of their uniform there has to be delineation between the rankings and for the Chiefs it’s the time when the bust out the blood clot uni’s. We discussed this before with the Texans and the awfulness of the look. Luckily, the original uniform for the Chiefs is cooler than the Texans, hence the better ranking.




14. New York Jets – Same as the Chiefs, except the dark green is slightly (and ever so slightly) more palatable than the Chiefs.




13. New Orleans – This marks a departure because I actually like their all black look. Why? One, because the gold helmet sets it off perfectly. But more importantly – they DON’T HAVE STRIPES ON THE PANTS. One thing I love about college uniforms is the color on color works when the pants are absent of stripes. I cannot explain the phenomenon, it just works. The Saints do it well. I realize this picture shows the gold pants with the black jersey. However, in most home game this year the Saints either wore the away set or the black on black.



Color Blind

12. New England – The Patriots struck an evil blow back in 1993 when they unceremoniously sacked Pat Patriot for Flying Elvis. The uniform itself isn’t so bad except for the changing of the pants. I’d like the consistency of the silver pants with both the home and away uniforms, but they chose to go with the blue option on the pants for the away set. Too much like Dallas? Maybe, but I’d prefer that look to their current set.



11. New York Giants – The changing of the helmet logo back to the original NY was a genius move for the Giants. However, I do not at all understand the red numbers and socks away from home. The main color is blue and all you get on the away set is the helmet. The slight splash of red at home works, but stick with the main colors on the road.




10. Dallas – While they are one of the very few teams who wears white at home (which I don’t mind), I’ve never gotten past the fact that the silver on the helmets looks different than the silver color on their pants. To be honest, it looks more like a bluish color than silver. Can’t be mismatched.


There’s Just Something…

9. Indianapolis – If you’ve read any of my uniform diatribes you understand that I enjoy simplicity. However, there comes a point where you need just a little more. This is the Colts. I absolutely love the shoulder stripes. But they’ve been the same for so long, sans the changes to the blue they use, that a change is needed. Add something, change it up, do something. Essentially, they’re boring.


8. Green Bay – Yes, I am a Bears fan. But that has nothing to do with this ranking. For me, it’s one simple aspect of their uniform I struggle with – the University of Georgia. Every time I watch the Packers play I always think of UGA because of the same G logo on the helmets. Sorry.


7. Chicago – I love the colors. A minor clarification – it’s midnight blue, not black and then add the orange. Love the wishbone C, the stripes, the curved numbers, everything….except the blue pants. HATE. THEM. And the white socks that go with the blue pants. Ugh.



Just Missed

6. San Diego – It was extremely interesting when the Chargers decided to go back to the white helmets back in 2007. I loved the change from royal blue to navy blue back in the day as well. I thought the LT Chargers uniforms were very cool. But, I also liked the change to the white helmets. I also like the shoulder stripes better as well. If only they’d go with the powder blue jersey’s full time they’d probably be number one.


5. Oakland – The classic silver and black combination. Nobody does it better and more appropriately than the Raiders. It’s clean, simple and sharp. And I love the fact that they wear the silver pants with both uniform sets. So why aren’t they number one? Look back at the Colts. It’s been the same for so long we’re callous to them.


4. Seattle – Surprisingly, I love the changes Nike made to their uniform set. Very nuanced, as in the 12 flags on the pants stripe for the fans (12th man), the hint of the highlighter green, the use of grey, I love it all. And it’s the only uniform set where I prefer the color on color look at home. They didn’t quite make the top three because of the grey set of uniforms they trot out on occasion. Stick with the navy and white.


The Best

3. San Francisco – Wise decision going back to the original red and gold colors AND the gray facemasks. Harkens back to the glory years of the 49ers. At the same time, like I’ve noted before, they use the gold pants with both home and away sets and it matches their helmet. Gorgeous.




2. Buffalo – There hasn’t been a better uniform change in recent history than the Bills. They created an alternate set which brought back memories of the old AFL uniforms. They were so well received the Bills changed the normal set to a fresher, more modern take on those old uniforms. Love the helmet stripe. The stripes on the shoulders and pants are fantastic. Love this set completely…unless they ever decide to introduce blue pants. PLEASE DON’T!!!




1. Pittsburgh – Absolute classic. Black and yellow, which compliments the Pirates and Penguins. The shoulder stripes are gorgeous. The change from the block numbers to the curved numbers was a subtle, yet excellent alteration. We can’t forget the logo on one side of the helmet either. It’s just the best uniform in the NFL in my opinion….as long as we’re not adding in the alternate uniforms. J




There they are, now the debating can begin!! As always, thanks to Chris Creamer's site for the uniforms. Check his site out. Also, if you love uniforms check the Uni Watch website. It's a mainstay for me. Finally, you can comment below or tweet me @illini3sc to discuss.

Until next time,

Shawn



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