Since the playoffs have basically scuttled our uniform discussions for this season, what with two-thirds of the teams in the league no longer playing, there’s really not much we can do as far as talking about weekly uniforms.
But there was plenty that went on as far as what teams wore in the 2012 regular season, and that in mind, I feel it’s appropriate to take a look back at some of the more uni-notable (to borrow a phrase from UniWatch) moments of the 2012 NFL season.
1. Awesome alternates rule the day!
Washington and Pittsburgh both unveiled new alternate uniforms this year, while Atlanta looked swell in their classic black alternates (which should be their full-time look, in my opinion).
Which did I like best? Well, it depends. I think Atlanta’s probably has the most potential as a regularly appearing uniform, but Pittsburgh’s stripes were incredible.
I never understood the hate for Pittsburgh’s uniforms. Sure, they were a little ostentatious, but in a world where we see Jacksonville’s boring outfits every week, maybe a little audacity is okay.
2. Old alternates still awesome.
We also saw some old alternates from New England, Tampa Bay, and Chicago, among others.
New England should always wear their red uniforms, in my opinion, given the disaster that is their normal uniform. Tampa and Chicago, meanwhile, should continue to use their alternates as they have: regularly, but sparingly.
They both look good (or, in Tampa’s case, as good as a Creamsicle can), but they’re better as changes of pace than normal uniforms.
3. The NFL goes crazy for blue pants.
The NFL saw a proliferation of color-over-color looks this year, perhaps due in part to Nike’s takeover. This look was seemingly utilized the most in teams that wore blue, as you can see below.
Picture via uni-watch.com
At least one team, though, unveiled some blue pants that looked pretty sharp. I’m talking about the Buffalo Bills, whose blue pants-ed début was only sullied by the pervasive presence of pink.
4. Not So Much: Solid color trouble leads to bad alternates.
I mentioned in the last bullet point that the NFL saw a lot more color-on-color uniforms this year, and that led to a number of gross uniform sets throughout the season, starting with Seattle’s questionable “Wolf Grey” outfit. Blegh.
The Carolina Panthers also made a move to the weird with their own monochrome outfit.
And finally, the Jacksonville Generics made a midseason switch to a full-time black uniform, which would be fine, but they also decided to go with black pants instead of white or teal. No thanks.
The future?
Rumors are swirling about a potential Jacksonville makeover, which would make sense given their recent ownership change.
Cleveland, having recently changed owners as well, could also be in the market for a new uniform, although I don’t know why they’d run the risk of ruining near perfection.
Miami has also been rumored to have a change in the works, and this alleged logo update has made the rounds on the internet.
And to throw a bit of gasoline on the bonfire of idle speculation, I’d like to propose Carolina as a potential candidate for a uniform do-over. They really haven’t made any significant changes (apart from those black pants and a slight logo tweak) since they joined the league and could be due for something new.
Cincinnati is also in dire need of some uni-sanity, and just to make it an even three, I think Tennessee could use a bit of a fix as well. Who knows what’s possible in the NFL uni-verse?
Jon Meerdink
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