Concepts: "B Inspired"

The folks over at Minneapolis-based design firm BAKER have been experimenting with concept uniforms for NFL clubs, anticipating the switchover to Nike.

Here's their Packer concept, created by Steve Wåhlin:

Steve Wåhlin @SteveWahlin

I took two different approaches with this exercise: one forward-looking and one looking back to the past, but both firmly rooted in tradition. With the first design, I modernized the classic navy blue and gold color scheme that was a hallmark of the Packers first 40 years. On the jersey, the shoulder yoke pays homage to the classic Packer uniform of the 1940s. Overall, the yellow has been replaced with a true metallic gold. For a more contemporary typographic look, I turned to Champion bold; which is very readable and masculine, yet has some pleasing subtleties in the numerals. And finally, the G helmet logo—originally intended to mimic a football before it morphed into its current oval shape—has been streamlined back into a more meaningful, aggressive shape.

The NFL now advocates the use of a “third jersey” for special matchups or holiday games. Here, I’ve proposed a scheme where the navy blue in the entire uniform is replaced with the traditional Packer green. It’s no mistake that this is very much like the color palette of Notre Dame; Packers founder Curly Lambeau intentionally based his team’s color scheme on that of his alma mater, including using green and gold intermittently during his tenure as coach.

This last design has a throwback feel, but it does not specifically mimic any Packer uniform of the past. There are elements from a number of designs: the brown pants of the 1920s, clean yellow stripes from the 1950s; the white lettering and vintage Running Packer logo from the 1960s. But a lot of things have been simplified and rationalized. The helmet stripes have been reduced to one simple green line. The arm stripes have moved to the undershirt and simplified into 4 equal lines to represent the Packers’ four Superbowl wins. The 2 yellow stripes on each of the socks symbolizes the Packers’s wins in the first two Superbowls; and the total number of uniform stripes is 13—the Packers’ total number of NFL championships. The classic yellow color is still present but it is given a metallic sheen on the helmet, gloves and shoes. Go Pack Go!

Outstanding.

I'd like to look at each of his concepts individually, beginning with his blue and gold primary uniform.

Obviously, I love the shout-out to all of the Packers' glorious past; one of the problems with the team wearing Lombardi's uniform today is that it reinforces the notion that the NFL started with the Super Bowl.

I'm also a huge fan of the shoulder yoke, a classic Lambeau-era look that still works today in this era of disappearing sleeves. A classic look that fits with modern uniform construction, and that's a rarity. The jersey numbers are a bit too close to the Rams; I'd rather see a right-angle block in an additional shout-out to Lambeau's uniform.

Putting the TV numbers on the compression sleeves is a nice touch. For 3½ years I've been advocating moving the Packers' distinctive stripes there, but never the TV numbers.

I will admit a partiality to Lambeau's color scheme over Lombardi's. I do recognize that I am in the minority here, and understand that the chromatic uniqueness of the Green and Gold is worth preserving. With that in mind, his alternate uniform, featuring a variant on the Packers' current color scheme, would work well today.

The modified helmet logo doesn't quite work for me. I appreciate the idea behind it, and I like the more elongated version worn by the Packers in the early 1960s. But this is a bit too aggressive, trying too hard.

So I like the primary concept a lot. The alternate uniform also shows a lot of promise.

Always interesting to see the "Holstein Heisman" logo in action. It has never been a regular part of the Packers' uniform, but has seen an uptick in modern use.

I'd hate for the Packers to drop their famous Braisher stripes, but a pair of simple gold stripes on green is a fantastic look, hearkening back not only to 1940s look above but also the socks worn by the team during the Lindy Infante era.

Not sure about the reasoning behind the number of stripes:

the total number of uniform stripes is 13—the Packers’ total number of NFL championships.

That's fine, Steve, but what are you going to do when they win their 14th next year?

There is one element that I think the Packers should adopt immediately; the metallic-flake gold helmet.

This manages to combine the classic athletic gold color with a metallic finish. Modern, but similar enough that the Packers could adopt this helmet with the same ease they went to "pearlized" shells in 2001. Perhaps this is something Hydro Graphics Inc. could provide, if they expand their NFL offerings. It would be a perfect opportunity for the Packers to branch out into a metallic helmet without losing their visual legacy.

All in all, very well done. A very fun concept, something from which the Packers could learn. I'd love to see that helmet under a clear November Wisconsin sky.

A White-Hot Starr

In this undated photo, Packer legend Bart Starr runs with the ball as he tries to elude two Baltimore Colt defenders.

This is a very unusual Packer uniform in that it doesn't contain any gold. White from head to toe, with single blue stripes on the helmet and pants and blue Northwestern stripes on the sleeves and socks.

The all-white uniform was introduced by head coach Lisle Blackbourn, and replaced when Vince Lombardi took over the team in 1959. Starr came to Green Bay in 1956, so that helps us. According to the Packers' media guide, the white uniforms became commonplace in 1957, so that narrows it down to two possible seasons.

That's My Motto

More details about Nike's impending takeover of the league-wide uniform contract are leaking out. On the Chris Creamer Sports Logos board, Redskins fan DeFrank posted this tidbit:

At a "chalk talk" tonight with Redskins GM Bruce Allen, the Redskins 80th Anniversary was brought up. It was briefly mentioned by the GM that the Redskins will have the words "Team Effort Tradition" on the inside collar of each jersey in coordination with Nike taking over. He said all teams will have their own motto. So, there we go. Thought I'd share...

Interesting.

Nike has been doing this for years with their soccer shirts. Take for example this beautiful kit, designed by Nike for Arsenal's 125th Anniversary this season.

Inside the shirt, on the back of the crest, is the club motto.

This is fairly common in world soccer these days, and Nike has a major presence there. I don't know if Nike originated the practice, but looks like they're bringing it to the NFL.

I like it. I've never been fond of the overly-detailed uniforms Reebok designed for the Vikings, Cardinals and Falcons, with all their extraneous piping and paneling. This, however, is different. A nice little detail that can be appreciated by the players (but let's be honest, far more by the fans who'll buy these things) that doesn't impact the team's classic design.

So what do you think the Packers' motto should be? Personally, I'm rather partial to "Go! You Packers Go!", although I could see a Lombardi quote working there. Just please, not "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

How about these, from VinceLombardi.com's quote page?

"Winning is not a sometime thing…it’s an all the time thing."
"If you don’t think you’re a winner, you don’t belong here."
"If we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."

Or maybe something from this sign, erected in New City Stadium's tunnel by Coach Lombardi early in his tenure:
What would you suggest?

So Close... The NFL's "Evolution" Commercial

The NFL's highly-touted safety commercial made its debut in the during the Super Bowl, backed with a very cool website.

It encapsulates the history of the NFL, and its safety innovations, by following a punt return that runs forward through the decades from the sport's early days to the modern era.

If you haven't seen it, YouTube can oblige:



The Packers make two appearances in the commercial, once on offense and once on defense.

The first appearance spans the 1940s:

That's an actor playing Hall of Famer and Packer legend Tony Canadeo with the ball. Nicknamed the "Gray Ghost" for his prematurely graying hair, Canedeo joined the Packers in 1941, and played through 1952, making him a perfect pick to run with the ball through this decade.

He's wearing Curly Lambeau's classic blue and gold uniform, with the shoulder yoke.

The camera tracks "Canadeo" and booms up, giving us a great look at his uniform.

Anybody notice the problem yet? The shoulder yoke is a bit pointy at the end, but that's forgivable. The inaccuracy I'm looking at is much larger. Think about it. and we'll come back to it in a few minutes.

As he runs towards the end of the decade, the leather helmet falls away to reveal a plastic shell (adopted by the Packers in 1950).

It sprouts a chinstrap, and away we go into the dawn of the 1950s. CUT TO: a ground-level shot of the Gray Ghost as he runs into, and over, a Philadelphia defender.

Note the green stripe on his gold helmet. Our runner puts his hand to the dirt to steady himself, and when he takes his next step, it's a new era and a new player, as Canadeo is replaced with a Los Angeles Ram.

And there we have it, the latest appearance of the Lambeau-era Green Bay Packers on the screen.

It's a clever commercial, but how accurate is it in terms of the Blue and Gold? The answer is: fairly, but not completely. Did you notice the historical error in Canadeo's uniform?

If not, I'll give you a clue: stripes.

Lambeau's 1940s uniform never included stripes on the gold pants.

Note also the rounded end on the shoulder yoke.

Now let's look at the second uniform, the plastic-helmeted 1950s-era blue, gold and green.

I don't know that the Packers ever wore these pants in the post-Lambeau era, but I'm not quite so comfortable saying "never" as the 1950s were such a back and forth, mix-and-match era in Green Bay's history.

I am pretty confident that they wore the green-striped gold lid with their blue uniform tops (but perhaps not those tops; Curly's solid-blue alternate (introduced in 1949) definitely saw occasional use in the following seasons, but I'm not sure about the gold yokes.

So there you have it. Two Packer uniforms, one from the 1940s and one from the 1950s, each with a generally decent sense of authenticity that misses a few details. Really, guys, you could have just called me.

Next up, we'll take a look at the second Packer appearance in this commercial, featuring defense, green jerseys and a very frustrated Coach Lombardi.

The Future's So Bright, Part II

Before the Super Bowl, we learned that the Giants' regular metallic-sheen helmets were going to be replaced by a custom paint job from Oregon-based Hydro Graphics Inc., Nike's go-to subcontractor for custom helmet finishes.

The move was reportedly motivated by problems maintaining the metallic-blue finish over the course of a game:

The Giants staff has been actively seeking out ways of improving the performance and durability of their helmet coatings for quite some time and were interested in how the HGI HydroSkin® technology might be able to help them.

If that was the intention, HGI fumbled.

The finishes looked great at the beginning of the game. I've been a fan of the Giants' helmet since it was unveiled in 2000, and in the beginning it appeared as though HGI got it just right.

Deep royal blue with metallic flake. Perfect.

As the game went on, the repeated impacts started to show.

On many players, particularly Manning and his receivers, the helmets continued to shine:

Linemen and other players who sustained repeated impacts throughout the game, however, were another matter. HGI's vaunted finsh showed every scrape and chip:

Whatever problems the Giants were having with their helmets before, surely they weren't this bad.

I guess this means we won't be seeing new metallic Packer helmets anytime soon. Back to the drawing board.

MVP!

In a landslide, Aaron Rodgers has been named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player for 2011.

The award was presented to him in during the NFL's new television award show, the "NFL Honors", broadcast from Indianapolis the night before the big game.

This show was the NFL's attempt to bring its regular-season awards into the Super Bowl marketing machine, with a touch of Hollywood glamour provided by host Alec Baldwin.

The league similarly tried to fold the Pro Bowl into the Super Bowl buildup two years ago by scheduling it in the Super Bowl city during the bye week between league championship games and the Super Bowl. The new location didn't last—the game was returned to its traditional Hawai'i location the following year—but the new date has remained.

Personally, I think this is an inspired move by the NFL. In previous years, the MVP was announced on Super Bowl Sunday, but by incorporating all major awards into a televised special the night before it enhances and elevates what was already a monster TV event.

While this individual award might be scant comfort for Packer fans still smarting from the playoff loss to the Giants, there is still merchandise to be bought.

Within minutes of the trophy presentation, I received this email from the Packers Pro Shop:

They sure don't waste much time. Packer backers hungry for a little postseason glory will have to satisfy themselves with these:

The new trophy design is interesting, but that's a subject for another time. Until then, enjoy your moment in the spotlight, Aaron, and hopefully next year when you travel to the New Orleans for the Super Bowl you'll have to bring your uniform along.