My Worst of the NFL 12.11.12

My worst of the week for 12.11.2012

The Cincinnati Bengals wore their alternate orange uniforms. I usually don't prefer black uniforms, but I think I like the Bengal's regular black better than I do the alternate orange.

And the New York Jets wore their Mr. Green Jeans uni this week. The Jets may have gotten a badly needed win, but the green britches don't work for me. I definitely prefer the whites.

College Football's Worst of the Year

The FBS regular season finale provided a very nice surprise with both Army and Navy getting into the alternate uniform mix. We'll take a look at the Army-Navy game as well as review my worst college uniforms of the year.

Let's start with the Army Navy game. I commend both teams for going non-traditional without butchering the whole uniform. It was a classic game with Navy winning in the final minute, and I'm giving Navy the nod on the uniform as well. Well done on both accounts.


Excellent job by both teams, especially Navy.



On to the worst of the year. These offenders were the worst of the worst this year. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree.

You could select several of Maryland's uniform combos from this season. Here's a hint: if it looks like  three teams are on the field at once, you've gone too far.



No respectable worst-of list would be complete without Virginia Tech's Foghorn Cleghorn helmets. The Fightin' Gobblers actually wore these twice this year!!



In what some called the 'Scrabble Game'  Nebraska and Wisconsin tied for ugliest of the week earlier in season. Both uniforms deserve consideration for worst of the season.



Tube Sock. Tube Sock. Tube Sock!!



Notre Dame doesn't need to tinker with their classic uniforms. Period. Off-centered helmet designs are a sign of someone trying too hard to look cool.

Twice this season UNC wore this chrome helmet with the large Tar Heel print. I like to call it the 'Big Foot Get Up'.

Here's a closer look at the Sasquatch lid.



An Open Letter to Stanford and Notre Dame

Dear Stanford and Notre Dame Athletics Officials,

Please take a moment to review your university's official websites. There you will find many interesting facts about your respective schools. One of those facts would be your schools' official colors. Stanford, your official colors are cardinal & white. Notre Dame, yours are gold and blue (and sometimes green). You will not find black listed anywhere on your school's official website or in your media guide. Yes, I realize that many schools are arbitrarily wearing black uniforms. Nevertheless, the fact remains that these uniforms are not compliant with your schools' color scheme. But mostly, they are very, very ugly.   

Warmest regards,

Salty

Trust me, this photo is like a Glamour Shot compared to the real thing.

Good luck reading the names or numbers.

The North Face, the Power Rangers and the Brown Banana

The North Face, the Power Rangers and the Brown Banana

Just because it’s late November and we’re nearing the end of the college football regular season, and just because we’re deep into the NFL season, doesn’t mean it’s too late for another round of Uniforms Gone Wild. With it being so far into the season, we’re beginning to see some repeat offenders who are clearly gluttons for punishment. The good news is that some teams saved their best (or worst) for last.

What’s most common this time of year is coaching changes. Last week we said goodbye to Derek Dooley and his orange pants. This week we say goodbye to Gene Chizik and his white ski jacket. That jacket has seen some serious wear. I mean he wore it indoors, outdoors, cold weather, hot weather, you name it.  Now armed with $7.3 million and plenty of spare time, ole Gene can finally wear it on the slopes. Maybe he can even become a model for The North Face...nah.

Repeat Offenders:   

I would like to personally thank The University of Maryland and Under Armour for plenty of material this year. Maryland’s getups were consistently ugly this season and this week's combo was no exception.  I think we have our first nominee for WOY (Worst of the Year).



They say some people just can’t stand prosperity. After being recognized for being part of a beautiful two-color game last week versus USC, UCLA did a 180 and went away from their classic powder blues and broke out this mono-navy joke of a uniform.  Why UCLA, Why?

The Hokies of Virginia Tech doubled our pleasure by wearing their Fightin' Gobbler helmets once again. I suggest that if you're going to use cartoon farm bird on your helmet, why not go with one of my personal favorites, Foghorn Leghorn.

 I said, I said, I said look at me when I'm talkin' to you, boy. Virginia Tech gets a Personal Fowl for this one.



No one does a better job of mixing up uniform combos than the Oregon Ducks. But, with a new combination each week, there are plenty of opportunities for a uniform to go wild. This week, the Quack Attack's bright yellow britches and helmet were simply too much. No stadium lights necessary because the Ducks were glowing in the dark.

More college offenders:

The Arizona Wildcats broke out these all-red atrocities. Red pants, red jerseys, red helmets, red face masks, red shoes, red everything.

They reminded me a lot of this guy, the Red Power Ranger. Regardless, after blowing a late lead against Arizona State, I'm sure RichRod and the Wildcats were seeing plenty of red.

The Ohio State Buckeyes decided to wear these alternate getups against their hated rivals Michigan. The Buckeyes usually sport one of my personal favorite uniforms. The scarlet and grey are synonymous with The Ohio State University. However, there's one thing that's always bothered me about OSU's jerseys, and that's the massive font of their numbers. This week they changed their giant digits to grey instead of their usual white. They also used a very wide stripe on the helmet topped off with green hologram buckeye stickers. Overall, not bad. I just hope they realize that it's best not to tinker too much with such a classic uni. 

Here's a closer look at the hologram stickers on the helmet.

Like Ohio State, Mississippi State made a numeral change by going with gold  in lieu of the usual maroon in this year's version of the Egg Bowl. The Bulldogs not only lost the game, they also lost substantial style points for the gold digits.

 Our final college entry comes from Wyoming. The Cowboys have made a feeble attempt to spruce up their uniforms this year with a variety of combinations. I will, however; give the Cowboys a ton of credit for sticking to their school colors. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a more difficult color scheme to work with than brown and yellow. It's reminds me too much of a rotten banana. I think the 'W' on their helmet simply stands for 'Wrong'.

On to the NFL

 For those of you who've been keeping up, you know that I'm not a fan of all-black uniforms, especially if black isn't one of your team colors, or if you wear black socks to create a leotard effect. This week the Saints and the Jags both wore all back. At least black is part of the Saints' color scheme. The Jags who looked more prepared for dance practice than a football game, were quite the contrast to the Titan's light blues (which I can't decide if I like or not). 

Speaking of light blue, I'm very happy to report that the San Diego Chargers wore their classic powder blues versus the Ravens. This vintage look is one my favorites in the NFL. I wish the Chargers wore these every week.

That's it for this week (and next). I'll be back in two weeks as we begin the nominations for worst uniforms of the year.

As always, feel free to leave a civil comment or share with friends.

The Hamburgler, the Turkey and the Duck (and no I’m not talking about Thanksgiving)

Please forgive the pun, but there was no shortage of good material in this week’s version of Uniforms Gone Wild. My favorite uniform change was made by USC and UCLA. Both teams wore their home colors in this year’s contest. I wish more games offered two home uniforms. Here’s a look at this week’s notable get ups… with commentary of course. Be sure to join the conversation on ESPN 97.3 The Zone tonight at 9:45 CST. Listen live at www.973thezone.com as part of the Midnight Meltdown.

Starting with College Football...



Thank you to USC and UCLA. Both teams wore their home jerseys this week, a beautiful sight for sure.  I think the 'Bama-Tennesse game is a great candidate for dual home jerseys.

Speaking of Tennessee, it's time to say goodbye to Derek Dooley's orange britches. Apparently hot pants weren't enough to overcome the hot seat. Bye bye Derek,we hardly know you.

The Oregon Ducks had a rough night against Stanford. I believe the uniform gods punished the Ducks for failing to wear their team colors. I'll admit, their uni is pretty cool, but major points are lost when a team doesn't wear it's school colors. Sorry, Oregon.

I'm happy to welcome an otherwise unknown team to the fray. The Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette (the artists formerly known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) went wild this week by adding a giant Fleur De Lis on the front of their jersey. Since they're the Ragin' Cajuns, I suggest a giant pot of gumbo or jambalaya on their jerseys.

Virginia Tech has found itself on my bad list too often this season. Sporting a cartoon turkey on your lid will not help you find your way off said list.

Speaking of lids, it looks like Bigfoot stepped in baby blue paint and stomped his way around UNC's equipment room. Sorry Tarheels, this one is a no-go.

Finally we have Wyoming's yellow and brown camo. I guess if the Cowboys were playing hide-and-go-seek in a UPS parking lot, this might make sense. What can brown do for you?

On to the NFL...

The Pittsburgh Steelers once again broke out their now infamous bumble bee uniforms. My eyes, my eyes! Yes, they look a swarm of bees, but they remind me of the vintage McDonald's character....

 Yes, it's the Hamburgler himself. I guess one is a 'Steeler' while the other is a 'stealer'.

Finally we have the St. Louis Rams. What was once 'The Greatest Show on Turf', the Rams started tinkering with their unis immediately after winning the 1999 Superbowl. A move they should regret. I prefer their classic blue and yellows. Now, they've migrated all he way to navy on top of navy with gold digits. Of course we should turn to a legend to show us how to rock the original blue and gold....

Thank you Joe Willie Namath. If he could make fur coats and pantyhose cool, you knew he could make the Rams look cool too.

That's it for this week. If you enjoyed this blog, feel free to share it with friends, leave a comment, follow me on Twitter, sign up for email alerts, and more. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!





Wild Turkey

The Va Tech Fightin' Gobblers are sporting these turkey helmets today. Very intimidating.

Black Ops for the Terps

I usually don't like all-black uniforms, but Maryland's 'Black Ops' version looks pretty sporty to me. Especially considering that Maryland is a repeat offender when it comes to hideous unis. You can see them live on ESPNU at 11:00 a.m. CST.