导出博客文章The New Orleans Saints wore 1960s throwback uniforms last Sunday -- part of
their year-long celebration of the teams 50th season. They were the eighth NFL
team to wear throwbacks this season, following the Bears, Dolphins, Bills, Rams,
Steelers, Packers and Washington (plus the Falcons wore a hybrid design that
included throwback elements).This years throwbacks -- like all NFL throwbacks
that have been worn since 2013 -- have had one thing in common: The teams used
their existing helmet shells and either swapped out or removed their usual
helmet logos, striping tape and face masks. Thats due to the NFLs one-shell
rule, which aims to decrease the risk of concussions by preventing teams from
switching to new sets of helmets in the middle of the season. So teams can still
wear throwbacks if they use their existing shells, but throwbacks that would
require a different-colored helmet -- like New Englands Pat Patriot design or
Tampa Bays Creamsicle set -- are now off-limits. (For more information on the
thinking behind the one-shell rule, and answers to many questions about it, look
here.)The one-shell rule now has been with us for four seasons, and its become a
truism among many fans that the rule has ruined the NFLs throwback scene. But is
that really accurate? Its true that a few beloved fan favorites like Pat Patriot
and the Creamsicles have essentially been kicked to the curb. But some of the
other throwbacks that are now verboten were never that great to begin with. In
many cases, mothballing them has been a case of addition by subtraction.To
further that point, lets look at all the past NFL throwbacks that have been
affected by the one-shell rule -- by your friendly uniform columnists count,
there are 16 such designs -- and see if were really worse off without them. We
wont be looking at every conceivable throwback that could be worn -- only the
ones that already have been worn as throwbacks but are now off-limits due to the
rule. For example, lets consider the Jets: The rule prevents them from wearing
their old 1980s and 90s uniforms because theyd need a new set of green helmets,
but we wont include that on our list because theyve never worn that design as a
throwback. But we will include their Titans of New York throwback on our list,
because theyve worn it as a throwback in the past but cant do so now.Got all
that? Here we go, one off-limits throwback at a time, listed alphabetically by
team name:1. Broncos: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-61Worn as a
throwback: 2009Great loss for humankind? Uh, no. Although theres something
amusing about grown football players wearing vertically striped socks, its safe
to say that nobodys mourning the loss of this throwback, least of all Broncos
fans. Good riddance.2. Broncos: Mid-60s designOriginally worn: 1965-66Worn as a
throwback: 1994Great loss for humankind? Yup. Although the bucking bronco helmet
logo is a bit cheesy, this is an underrated uniform that deserves to be revived.
Too bad the one-shell rule prevents that.3. Broncos: Orange Crush
designOriginally worn: 1968-1996Worn as a throwback: 2001Great loss for
humankind? Definitely. For many fans, this is still the uniform they think of
when they think of the Broncos, and it would be great to see it on the field
again. Although the helmet is a lighter shade of blue than Denvers current navy
shell, the team wore a reasonable facsimile of the old look for this seasons
Color Rush game by using the throwback logo and striping on the current shell.
Would that be close enough for a throwback uniform, or would fans complain that
the helmet color wasnt right? Only one way to find out: Try it.4. Buccaneers:
Creamsicle designOriginally worn: 1976-96Worn as a throwback: 2009-12Great loss
for humankind? Yes. Ridiculed for years before emerging as a nostalgia-driven
favorite, the Bucs original uniform set, complete with Bucco Bruce on the
helmet, has become the poster child for the one-shell rules collateral damage on
the throwback scene. Its a big part of the teams heritage -- and, arguably, the
NFLs heritage -- and its a shame it cant be worn anymore. Free Bucco Bruce!5.
Colts: Mid-50s designOriginally worn: 1954-55Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss
for humankind? Nah. Putting the horseshoes on the back of the helmet, instead of
the sides, is interesting (the idea being thats what you see when a colt -- or a
Colt -- is galloping away from you), but its more of a novelty than a good
design. And if the Colts really want to wear something like this, they could do
a throwback to 1956, when they wore the same helmet concept on a white shell.6.
Cowboys: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-63Worn as a throwback:
2004-12Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great loss, but still a loss. The
Cowboys white-helmeted throwbacks had become a Thanksgiving tradition thats now
been shelved. Too bad.7. Eagles: Kelly Green designOriginally worn: 1954-64,
1985-95Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss for humankind? For sure. The only
thing that would be better than reviving this design as a throwback would be
reviving it as the teams primary look.8. Eagles: City flag designOriginally
worn: 1934Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Nope. This uniform
was good as a history lesson (its colors are based on the design of the
Philadelphia city flag, which in turn was based on the Swedish national flag,
because of the original Swedish colonization of the Philly region) but not as an
Eagles uniform. Fans hated it, and theres no chance itll be worn again, rule or
no rule.9. Falcons: Original designOriginally worn: 1966-1969Worn as a
throwback: 2009-11Great loss for humankind? A little bit, yeah. Atlantas
original helmet design had a red shell, to honor the University of Georgia, and
gold striping, to honor Georgia Tech -- a nice dual shout-out to Atlantas two
college football teams. Symbolism aside, its also a very solid look -- one that
would be nice to see again.10. Jets: Titans of New York designOriginally worn:
1960-62Worn as a throwback: 2007-09, 2011Great loss for humankind? Nope. True,
the Jets franchise was known as the Titans for the first three years of its
existence, but thats more of a historical footnote, or maybe the answer to a
trivia question, than a key chapter in the teams history. Fans never warmed up
to this throwback design, and the team is better off without it.11. Packers:
Acme Packers design with brown helmetOriginally worn: 1929-30Worn as a
throwback: 2010-11Great loss for humankind? Nope. The Packers original Acme
Packers uniform, worn back during the Great Depression, featured brown leather
helmets, so the team opted for brown shells when reviving that design as a
throwback in 2010. But the brown lids never looked right, so it was actually an
improvement when the one-shell rule forced the team to switch to its regular
yellow shells with the decals removed in 2013. Theres a lesson there: Sometimes
being less historically accurate can be more aesthetically pleasing.12.
Patriots: Pat Patriot designOriginally worn: 1961-92Worn as a throwback: 1994,
2002, 2009-12Great loss for humankind? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Fans can
debate whether the Pats original Minuteman mascot character, Pat Patriot, is
better than the teams current Flying Elvis logo (some prefer Pat and wish hed
never gone away, while others prefer Elvis because he symbolizes the success of
the Brady/Bellichick era), but just about everyone agrees that Pat should get to
come out and play at least once a year. This is probably the single biggest
casualty of the one-shell rule.13. Steelers: 1962 designOriginally worn:
1962Worn as a throwback: 2009-10Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great
loss, but a loss all the same. Its a nice change of pace to see that familiar
Steelers logo against the yellow helmet, and the rest of the uniform is very
solid.14. Titans: Oilers designOriginally worn: 1960-65Worn as a throwback:
1994, 2009Great loss for humankind? Yes, but with an asterisk. Its been great
when the Titans have honored their franchises Oilers root, but they can still do
that by throwing back to the Oilers white-helmeted era -- which was actually the
teams strongest look. Luv ya, blue!15. Washington: Lombardi-era designOriginally
worn: 1970-71Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Its complicated.
Anything involving Washingtons branding is a loaded proposition due to the teams
use of Native American iconography. But with that caveat in mind, this design,
which they wore when coach Vince Lombardi moved from Green Bay to Washington and
gave the team a somwehat Packers-esque makeover, is one of the better looks from
the teams visual history.16. Washington: Leatherhead helmetOriginally worn:
1937Worn as a throwback: 2012A great loss for humankind? From a helmet
perspective, yes. Washingtons modern interpretation of the old leatherhead
helmet had the illusion of a textured surface -- a really neat effect, and much
better than the plain brown shell that the Packers used for their own
leatherhead simulation (see above). Once the one-shell rule went into effect,
Washington kept wearing this throwback uniform with their current helmet shells
-- not bad, but its a shame that they cant go with the leatherhead treatment
(and that nobody else can go that route either).If you tally up the assessments,
you get 11 cases of Too bad we cant see that again! versus five of Eh, no
biggie. So yes, the one-shell rule does appear to have been a net negative from
an aesthetic standpoint. Moreover, there are potentially great throwbacks that
have never been worn and currently cant be worn due to the rule, such as the
Seahawks original design, the Chargers Air Coryell design and the Jets New York
Sack Exchange design. The rule also prevents the Thursday-night Color Rush
uniforms from reaching their full potential, because the helmets often dont
match the rest of the uniforms. (You can decide for yourself if inhibiting the
scope of the Color Rush program is a good or bad thing.)Will the one-shell rule
stay in place forever? Probably not. It seems likely that some sort of
workaround, such as full-shell vinyl wraps, will eventually be developed. And
with college teams continuing to routinely wear multiple shells each season with
no apparent ill effects, maybe the NFL will simply drop or modify the rule.
Until then, though, well have to live without Pat Patriot and Bucco Bruce --
which will just make their eventual return, if and when it happens, that much
sweeter.Paul Lukas wishes the NFL had gone with Throwback Thursdays, instead of
the Color Rush program, for Thursday-night games. If you like this column, youll
probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and
Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his
mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask
him a question? Contact him here.
Cheap
Sneakers From China . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play
defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward
for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen.
Cheap Sneakers Website .C. at the helm
of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was
all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise
record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and
replaced one year later.
http://www.sneakerscheap.net/ . --
Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout,
shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the
tournament course record.
Cheap Sneakers
Online Free Shipping . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer
Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver
Canucks because of an upper-body injury.
Cheap Sneakers From China Free Shipping
. Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that
when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at
every cost . The UFCs early 2017 schedule has started to take shape.UFC 208 will
take place on Jan. 21 in Anaheim, California. UFC 209 will take the promotion
back to New York on Feb. 11, inside Barclays Center. And UFC 210 will be held on
March 4 in Las Vegas.Additionally, a televised event has been added on Jan. 28
at Pepsi Center in Denver.UFC 208 will take place on the same night as Bellator
170, which will feature a light heavyweight fight between former UFC stars Chael
Sonnen and Tito Ortiz. The UFC will be at the HHonda Center, while Bellator MMA
has booked The Forum in nearby Inglewood, California.ddddddddddddThe UFC 209
event will be the third trip to the state of New York in a three-month window.
The blockbuster UFC 205 is scheduled for Madison Square Garden this weekend. A
second event is planned to take place in Albany next month.No fights have been
announced for any of the new events. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace