Last night’s Packers/Seahawks tilt will no doubt go down as one of the most storied games in NFL history (especially for anyone who had money riding on the outcome). But even before the debacle of the final play, the game had generated a fair number of reader observations. To wit:
• An ESPN graphic during the game showed the Seahawks’ offensive line wearing last year’s uni and quarterback Russell Wilson wearing this year’s. That is a seriously weird editing choice.
• Turns out the Packers made a small uni adjustment this season that none of us had noticed until last night: They now have a little football-shaped name and number on the back of each helmet. This continues a four-year trend of unusual helmet decals for Green Bay. In 2009, they put a number at the base of the white stripe; in 2010, the number was put in an oval and joined by the player’s name; in 2011, they stayed with the same decal design but moved it away from the stripe; and now they’ve maintained the same decal positioning but come up with a new decal design. Has any team ever had such an extended run of inconsistent helmet numbering? (For more on the Pack’s history of helmet numbers, look here.)
• Several readers e-mailed me to point out that Packers coach Mike McCarthy has a specially modified cap to hold his Sharpies. The weird thing is that I initially wrote about this almost exactly three years ago and even said it’s the kind of thing people tend to notice during a Monday Night Football game.
• Two Aaron Rodgers fans in the stands had radically different approaches to NOB lettering.
• I think we’ve noted this before, but once more won’t hurt: Rodgers has a little “12” embroidered onto his cap.
• The evening’s most uni-notable moment may have come during the post-game analysis, when ESPN commentator John Clayton appeared on the air even though he clearly hadn’t been expecting to be on TV.
(My thanks to all contributors, including Matt Harris, Geoff Lott, Mark Magowan, Kevin McCreight, Leo Thornton, Kevin Wright,
Collector’s Corner
By Brinke Guthrie
This is a big week for the Brooklyn Nets, as their new arena is about to open and their uniforms are about to be unveiled. With that in mind, let’s kick off this week with a late-1970s Nets warm-up made by Russell.
As for the rest of this week’s finds:
• Going through NHL withdrawal because of the lockout? We’ve got a full 32 pages of hockey fun (says so right there) with this 1970s Boston Bruins coloring book!
• Nice set of 1970s NFL magnetic helmet standings boards. I had these very same helmets but they were push-pins on my (naturally) NFL Sears bulletin board. Whoops, did I say magnets? Sure did!
• Want your own pair of Astros Tequila Sunrise pants? Got ’em right here. They’ll go well with this cap.
• I like this early-1970s “Pete Liske-era” Eagles helmet.
• If you collected Vikings Coke caps in the 1960s, then you needed this to put them on!
• Here’s a big lot of NFL and AFL patches from the 1960s.
• Never seen this before — a 1982 Illustrated NFL Playbook from Gatorade.
• While searching for hockey items, I came across these vintage bubblegum boxes from Zip, Gipsy, Dubble Bubble, Swell, and Big 5.
• And here’s one from Paul: Check out the crazy collar striping on this Wisconsin basketball warm-up top.
Seen something on eBay or Etsy that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here, and you can follow Brinke on Twitter and Facebook.
Membership update: A new batch of designs has been added to the membership card gallery (including Kyle Allebach’s Eagles throwback treatment, shown at right). The printed/laminated versions of this batch should mail out this afternoon, at which point we’ll be fully caught up! Until the next order comes in, that is.
As always, you can order your own membership card by signing up here. Okay? Okay.
Uni Watch News Ticker: America, fuck yeah. UNC will be pandering via that flag-desecration helmet this Saturday. … Also this Saturday: the debut of Arizona’s copper helmets. … Up until yesterday, I knew of only two FNOBs in MLB history: Ron Jackson and Carl Taylor. But now Joe Hilseberg has found a supposedly game-used FNOB jersey for Dan Ford of the 1982 Orioles. I’m skeptical, though — there were no other Fords on the Orioles in 1982, or during any of the other seasons Dan Ford spent in Baltimore. Unless we see a game photo, I’m putting this one in the “I doubt it” pile. … Ottawa’s new CFL team will probably not be called the Rough Riders (from Rocky Lum). ”¦ Lots to like in this 1967 shot of Johnny Bench. The Reds only wore that uni design for one season, and note the unusual “5” style (nice find by Frank Bitzer). … Jets QB Mark Sanchez removed his eye black stickers toward the end of the first quarter on Sunday. Yunel Escobar hasn’t yet returned my request for comment (from Brian Farkas). … Funny note from Jim Tischler, who writes: “I read your site religiously every day. My wife gets upset that I spend so much time with uniforms. She actually would prefer I look at porn. So every once in a while, she’ll yell down the stairs, ‘Are you looking at that uniform web site again?’ And I’ll reply, ‘I swear, I was looking at porn!'” That’ll be our new slogan: “Uni Watch — So Great Your Wife Will Want You to Watch Porn Instead.” … Amelie Mancini has unveiled a new series of Left Field Cards designs. … Many of you have probably seen this Senators prototype, which began circulating when Ottawa fans were lobbying for an NHL franchise in the early ’90s. Until now, though, I’d never seen this version of it (great find by John Muir). … Bills defensive lineman Kyle Williams appears to have had some modifications to his Nikelace and neck roll. Seems like further confirmation of the adjustments I first reported on last week (from Charles Pritt). … Here’s a video clip about the shoes Nebraska will wear against Wisconsin this weekend (from David Westfall). … No photo, but Joe Giza notes that Kellen Winslow Jr. made his Patriots debut on Sunday and did not add “Jr.” to his NOB, despite the new rule allowing him to do so. … Simple way to end the NHL lockout, at least according to one columnist: Put ads on the uniforms. “Dumbest thing I’ve read all day,” says Rob Ullman (but that’s presumably because he didn’t read anything on Bleacher Report). ”¦ Here’s another video clip of Atlantic High and their two-tone football uniforms, this time from last Friday’s game, which they lost (video courtesy of John Bennardo):
Oh, cut Clayton some slack. He wasn’t expecting to be on camera, so he grabbed the first thing he could find to cover up the Slayer t-shirt…
There’s a typo in the first pronoun to reference Jim Tischler’s wife.
“I read your site religiously every day. My wife gets upset that I spend so much time with uniforms. he actually would prefer I look at porn.”
~~~
NTTAWWT
Jim Tischler wins the Internets this week. My sides are more blown than the ref’s call last night XD
Oh, I’ve always regarded this website as pornography.
Uni-porn.
That Eagles helmet is sporting the black outline. I hear there is some controversy as to whether the Eags actual wore those much.
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Not buying it that it’s authentic. The Eagles wore the white helmet from 1969-1973. The Riddell wordmark on the front bumper? I don’t think that font was used in this era, plus very few players had that style of a bumper.
Plus, note the “R” logo and the warning decal on the back of the helmet. Those definitely were not on the helmet from ’69-’73.
Not sure about that “All-American” logo.
Not to mention the shell and wings are in perfect condition while the neck bumper is thrashed. Definitely a “refurb” (home-made) IMO.
None of this shit would have happened last night if Green Bay would put the sock stripes back on!
Figured I’d make an actual uni-related comment rather than the comments that would be more blatantly obvious than that shit show from last night.
During the Packers/Neonhawks game last night, when they had to get players back on the field for the meaningless extra point, they showed a shot of some Packers in the tunnel going through a cart with the teams helmets in it trying to find their specific helmet (didn’t get a screenshot and can’t find a pic). I noticed they were looking at the back of the helmets and I assumed the Packers prob just had the numbers on the back of their helmets like the Steelers do (big block numbers at the base). As the players picked through the helmets I noticed they would look closely at each one and I thought to myself “why wouldn’t their numbers be more prominent on the back?”. This answers my question. Though I like the design and simplicity of those helmet stickers, when you are in a pinch and need to find your helmet fast, it could cause a problem. Though I’m sure the Packers weren’t too worried about making the officials and Seahawks wait.
Saw that same thing Mike. They looked to be having some real trouble Id’ing their lids.
Speaking of the Eagles, I don’t think THIS helmet has seen on-field action yet either (but Lord knows, it might the way things are going these days!)
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I don’t know if this has been mentioned but Charles Woodson last night had an altered collar on his jersey.
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He’s had that for years. So have several other Packers.
Some of the best pics and tweets regarding last nights “game” from theChive…
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Those refs didn’t even have the goddamn common courtesy to give Green Bay a reacharound.
In regards to the drastically different Rodgers NOB, the one on the right looks like a good ‘ole chinese fake. you can always spot those a mile away.
Ugh, those Chinese fakes are awful.
The wing place where my hockey pals and I go after games has a bunch of them hanging from the rafters, big signs on ’em that say “Win this jersey on Sunday”! Wow, thanks for nothing.
Oh man hockey jersey’s are the worst of chinese fakes, i mean you can’t fool anyone with those.
Don’t remind me, I got burned on eBay recently for a Bruins sweater.
Stupid me, I thought it went cheap because it was a Dennis Wideman sweater.
On the subject of bootlegs, on another sire, it bugs me to no end when I see this ad with a horrible Redskins bootleg. Hopefully this link works: link
Should I reconsider purchasing this then?:
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Yeah, that’s a fake.
McCarthy also wore the SDS pin on his regalia..
Having trouble posting link.. try again soon
Paul, the “color-out” forces are back.
During UGA’s Coach Mark Richt call-in show last night, a caller asked Richt if it would be a good idea for the fans to attempt a “red-out” for the Tennessee game on Saturday. Richt said yes and encouraged fans to spread the word via Twitter and Facebook.
I don’t know if it qualifies for your disdain, but I thought I’d pass it along. Personally, I hope we break out the black jerseys again.
When did fans wearing their own school colors to a game become something they need to ask the coach permission for? If you’re going to a UGA game, SHOULDN’T you be wearing red? But maybe I’m just crazy.
Not necessarily Chris. As an alum, I wear either red or black to games. I usually wear black. A lot of the younger alums prefer to wear black (especially in the late fall).
Most older alums wear red. But if you look at a crowd shot from Sanford Stadium, it is not the Nebraska “Sea of Red” by a long way.
Yeah, I get that UGA has trended more towards black in recent years. I guess my gripe there was literally asking Richt if they could/should wear red. Though I agree with Arr below that it’s definitely preferable to the school specifically telling the fans to wear a color.
I’m thinking if I were a UGA alum, I’d be wearing red instead of black to late September afternoon games. Anything to be cooler in the Georgia heat.
With the weather we’ve had lately Chris, red or black won’t matter. We’re looking for highs on the mid-70s on Saturday. Perfect football weather for late September.
I completely agree Chris. I will be at the game on Saturday and sure didn’t need someone to tell me to wear red. You wear red to Athens because it is what your dad taught you to wear or whoever brought you up with the traditions, not because somebody thought they’d ask the coach what to wear. Go Dawgs!!!
This sounds like the definition of an unobjectionable color-out, since it literally began with a fan. That’s how it’s supposed to work! “Hey, everybody, let’s all wear red on Saturday!” Even if the school or coach picks up on it and says, “Yeah, great idea!” It’s still a fan initiative.
Tough it still must be said: any fan who gives any other fan grief for not playing along with the color-out hates America. As the Prophet Uecker taught us, “There is no compulsion in fan-dom.”
Question about that Kyle Williams, Bills uniform shot:
I thought it was mandated in recent years that all players must wear thigh pads?
That rule goes into effect next year:
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I get several emails a week about this. Seems like lots of people internalized the rule change but didn’t pay attention to when it goes into effect.
Is it just me or are all pants shorter under NIKE than they were under Reebok?
Jaguars and other concept uniforms shown here (it says this is only 4 days old, so I don’t know if this is old news or old-old news maybe).
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Those are all so ugly, they look like stuff that people would enter in a contest here at Uni Watch.
Could Dan Ford’s FNOB be from Spring Training (or left over from) in 1982?
The Orioles had a pitcher named Dave Ford who played with the O’s from 78-81 and pitched in 20 games for their AAA team in 1982.
I just went to the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s web site to see the local reaction to last night’s game, but I got sidetracked by this Piggly Wiggly ad:
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Who wouldn’t!!
the Nike makers mark is so in your face with the Seahawks jersey.
Today’s link comic has a character in a Chris Klewe jersey (Tai, the character wearing it, is a lesbian). It’s pretty accurate to the current jersey.
I so want the Packers to trade for Tim Masthay, not because I’m suddenly dissatisfied with Tim Masthay but because I’m having a hard time rooting against him even if he is wearing Minnesota purple.
Ugh. What am I doing?
I so want the Packers to trade for Chris Klewe, not because I’m suddenly dissatisfied with Tim Masthay… and you know the rest.
I wondered what the hell you were saying there…
How you doin’ today, buddy? You guys got a meeting scheduled yet or what?!
Yes! Mad love for Brendon Ayanbadejo, Chris Kluwe and Jeph Jacques. Don’t put up with hate.
Could Dan Ford’s FNOB in 1982 be from, or left over from, Spring Training?
The Orioles had a pitcher named Dave Ford, who played in the majors with them from 78-81 and pitched in 20 games for their AAA team in 1982.
Ah, excellent research! Yes, perhaps from spring training. Good work!!
THANKS Paul. Glad to finally contribute!!
There wasn’t a Dan Ford on the 1982 Orioles??
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Am I missing something?
Oooooh.
The article about the Ottawa CFL team not being called the Rough Riders appears to be from July 2010.
I was hoping I could find this. It was the first thing I thought of when I read that item.
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According to Bills CEO Russ Brandon Bills will be wearing throwbacks Dec 9th vs Rams
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Boooo!!!
Article from Bills website.
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The Rams should counter with this:
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Would love to see the blue/white helmet come back for the Rams Chris. Might be why I’m really loving the Seahawks improved helmet. Not a fan of their uniform outside of that much improved helmet. At least I can say I like the blue way better than it was before. I would have loved them to go back to silver lids, but this new blue can stay as far as I’m concerned.
Re: the two Rodgers jersey’s lettering.
The one on the left is a true NFL replica jersey. The one on the right is, scientifically speaking, “fake as shit”
Being a former employee at a sports retail store, I nearly threw up when I saw that jersey on the right. Although, Reebok and now Nike promotes the bootleg jersey demand because of their high prices
The shoes Nebraska will wear are constructed with a reflective material. I can almost guarantee this. That is why they are shown taking a flash picture of the shoe and then looking up at the screen with that reaction.
FNOB — Don’t forget Julio Gonzalez from the ’82 Cardinals. You’ve had photos of him on your site before.
Totally forgot about him. But you’re right!:
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MEMO TO: Nike NFL Department Heads
FROM: Phil Knight
DT: 092512
RE: Clayton
—————
Can someone please get John Clayton some Nike stuff?
PK
LULZ
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Why would there be t-shirts with NYC on them (obviously New York City) but it’s a Wishbone C with a Chicago Bears logo in the center? link
Beats me. Maybe a shirt for Bears fans who live in New York?
The back of the shirt:
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like the back of the shirt implies, it’s a local Bears fan club
Wasn’t the Packers sticker on the back of the helmet brought up before (preseason, perhaps) on this website?
twice
My sources have gotten the low-down on what the Nebraska shoes do when you take a picture of them:
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I wonder why the maker of those NFL/AFL patches mentioned in the Collector’s Corner didn’t just use the official Jets logo as their patch rather than create an entirely new one:
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From today’s USA Today – Any ideas on why you would paint the logo before the stripes?
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I still have one of those Illustrated NFL Playbooks. I got mine circa 1982 from the NFL Super Pro Club.
Nebraska has other “Unrivaled” reflective gear. So the new shoes must be too
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Looks like this is old news or we didn’t really care because we were all in shock in seeing a BFBS Nebraska Helmet. From the news release back in July:
Nebraska’s black helmet honors the program’s Blackshirts legacy and features a red stripe and block “N.” The Cornhuskers’ adizero Smoke gloves feature the “N” logo and the team’s reflective black adizero cleats combined with the red -plated bottom will bring a bright and exciting look to Nebraska’s footwear during their Homecoming night game.
did anyone else notice that on the second magnet set on collector’s corner that the 49ers logo looks like the current one?
Best thing I’ve seen so far with this whole Innaccurate Reception debacle…
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Zzzzzzzz… (Crickets chirping in background)
sooooo….
what’s the best name so far for last night’s debacle — been outta any kind of loops today, so these are literally just what i heard or thought i heard…
“inaccurate reception”
“fail mary”
“touch don’t”
“so these are the motherfuckers that the lingerie league rejected”
The Touchback Touchdown.
Immaculate Reception II.
It’s probably got the same “stadium security won’t guarantee our safety if we reverse this call” aspect to it. The initial call was an easy enough mistake to make – assuming it was simultaneous possession, which automatically goes to the Offense. To watch the reply and *not* call it an interception means that you either fear for your life, or you’re literally pants-on-head retarded.
i’ve also heard the “immaculate deception”
how the fuck they missed the PI (pushing off) right before that *catch* is something even matt powers would have seen and called
if the pack misses the playoff by a game, i fear for these guys safety in general
Two things.
One: The,
Legitimately, “either fear for your life, or you’re literally pants-on-head retarded” is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen you post. I literally laughed out loud.
and Two:
Phil, not even the players are truly blaming the refs. They’re overwhelmed. If the Packers miss the playoffs, they only have the owners (something they lack) to blame.
the fuck you tawkin aboot?
the packers got like 4,000,000 owners
and two…this is the funniest thing you’ll see posted today
The debacle in Seattle overshadowed what was really a poor week overall for the replacement refs.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I to find It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to present something back and aid others such as you helped me.
This definitely isn’t spam…
The Seahawks, Lions and Vikings would do well to heed the LA Times’ mistakes and return to those helmets….
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Don’t forget the Browns, they wear gray facemasks these says (and the vikes is an improvement, let’s be honest)
…and Niners, Panthers & Colts.
I thought the LA Times was supposed to be a reputable news source. Apparently not.
football helmets aren’t news THE
but apparently fact-checking and crack research staffs are non-existent as well
/the state of journalism is in the terlet