Week 4 Uniform Matchup Rankings

Welcome back for the weekly uniform matchup rankings (Week 4), but first a couple of items we want to bring to your attention:

We recently added a couple of things to the GUD's research tab. They are:

1) A descriptive listing of the uniform history of the Chicago College All-Star Game. For the uninitiated, the College All-Star Game took place each year (except for 1974) from 1934 through 1976.  The game pitted the NFL (or Super Bowl) Champions from the previous season against the the most talented Collegiate all-stars.  It was almost always held at Soldier Field and was always played at night.  In the game's early days, it was a huge deal.  In fact, attendance for the game was always strong, but in particular, in the 1940's.  During this decade, the average gate was in excess of 90,000 and on three occasions, topped 100,000.  We are pleased to add this chapter to the GUD.

2) A graphical history of Helmet Decals.  With the capable and talented hands of Bill Schaefer and the help of you, the faithful GUD followers, we have been able to compile - to our knowledge - the most comprehensive single source of helmet decals to be found anywhere.  The decal history portrays all known commemorative and memorial decals that have been found on the backs of the helmets and in some cases, the front bumpers of the helmets for every team - and player - that wore them.  The only decal I know that isn't shown is the Warning sticker (that tells the wearer not to use the helmet as a spearing weapon, among other things).  We strongly urge you to look them over and if you happen to find any that we're missing, please contact us with pictorial proof and dates that the decals were used.  We thank those who helped Bill with this tremendous addition to the GUD.

And now, to the review:

#15. Dolphins-Cardinals: MIA in all white with ARZ in red/white. You don't know how disappointed I was when I heard - and saw - the Dolphins ditching the wonderful white/aqua away look for their dullish home all white duds. This one goes down numerous pegs for that alone. hey, at least the Cardinals returned to their red roots or this could have been a disaster.

#14. Titans-Texans: TEN in white/columbia and HOU in dark blue/white. Another two-toned blue affair that doesn't dull the senses. However, like the NE-BUF pairing, lots of blue, but only a hint of red. A little more red would make this even better.

#13. Patriots-Bills: Pats in white/navy and the Bills in blue/white. A traditional rivals game with some nice color. Silver, navy, red and blue. While it works, I think a red Bills helmet would have been icing on this cake. While it still has some good taste, I am just not stoked for it.

#12. Panthers-Falcons: CAR in all white with the ATL in throwback black/white mode. Falcons also go full throttle with the 1966 throwback with the red helmet. The Falcons get a lot of love for this particular throwback and while I do like it, I like the '67 white falcon jersey better. Panthers answer with their normal all white visitors scheme. It's nice, but not a knockout.  (I personally prefer the 1981 red jersey with gray pants Steve Bartkowski era throwback look for the Falcons.  -RH)

#11. Redskins-Buccaneers: WSH in burgundy/white and TB in white/pewter. Darn! Skins rocking the white pants for the first time this (regular) season and the Bucs in the early season WAH look. I could have let the Skins go if they had pulled off wearing the striped socks, but...A little downer. Bucs still look nice, but I really think those red jerseys should be always the home jersey.

#10. Browns-Ravens: The Thirsday nighter featured the Browns in all white with the Ravens in purple/black. The perfect Ravens uni against the classic Browns model. With the orange helmet on the Browns, it makes for a nice look. This happens to be my favorite Ravens combo.

#9. Seahawks-Rams: SEA in white/gray and STL in all dark blue. If the Rams stayed with gold pants, this matchup would be flirting with #1. The Seahawks continue to impress - yes, impress - me with these 2012 uni combos. I can get into this one, but not enough for a top 5 berth.

#8. Bengals-Jaguars:  CIN in all white, JAX in teal/white. A little explanation here. It was announced before this game that the Jags would wear teal tops for the last time effective with this game and then switch to black (yawn) jerseys from here on for 2012. Some of the folks out there asked how could the Jags get away with a mid-season change when the NFL requires a jersey schedule by July 1? Simple. The Jags, most likely, MADE that decision the proper way. And the teals this year became the alternate jersey! As I understand, a team can wear an alternate or throwback a maximum of three times during the pre and regular season. JAX likely informed the NFL of their jersey schedule properly by the deadline. The decision simply wasn't leaked to the public until the last week or so. Basically, much ado about nothing. Oh yes, the matchup. Bengals could have given us black pants, but with the teal farewell, no points deducted.

#7. Chargers-Chiefs: SD in white/navy and KC in red/white. After two weeks in all white, the Chargers revert back to current form with the navy britches. And it plays much better than if they had stayed all white. The offset stripes on the Chiefs sleeves may be only a little change, but a much needed one. Makes the stripes pop a bit more. Well played.

#6. Raiders-Broncos: OAK in white/silver, DEN in orange/white. The way it's supposed to be. After many years with the Broncos in dark blue and sometimes ALL dark blue, this is a quality, traditional look with flair. Sweet.

#5. 49ers-Jets: SF in white/gold, NYJ in green/white. I guess a little too early in the season for the jets to go Gang Green? Niners in the uni that makes the gold pop. Still, while conservative, this is a good uni matchup. The reds, golds and greens have a good feel.

#4. Vikings-Lions: MIN in all white with DET in honolulu-silver. As expected as any game would be. Very traditional, and actually a good contrast. The purple trim works well with the palish blue and silver trim. with a touch of black.

#3. Bears-Cowboys: As always, no major jaw-droppers here. Normal looks for these two, CHI in navy/white and DAL in white/mint. Good solid looking football uniforms and colors, the multi-silver hued Cowboys actually plays sweetly off the navy and orange Bears. I'm tellin' ya, though, the Bears are one of several squads that seem to have noticeably larger back numbers with the new Nike jerseys than under the old Reebok system.

#2. Giants-Eagles: NYG in white/gray. PHI in green/white. Boy, the Eagle green doesn't seem as dark to me these days and if true, that is a plus. Two old line teams with nice colorful contrasts. red, blue, green and the customary black. Good show! 

#1. Saints-Packers:  NO in white/black and GB in green/yellow. Yep, I might be one of the few who jack up the rankings here for the Saints going with the black pants, but so what? Packers always look marvelous in the green/yellow combo.

That's it for Week 4. Again, please do check out the new additions to the GUD's research page. We trust and hope you will find them of interest. 

If Now Was Then...(Part 3)

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been displaying a brainchild that came to me while watching a Titans preseason game month ago. The thought had occurred to me that if this were the era of long-sleeve jerseys and leather helmets, what would each of the current League teams look like as they took the field?

Having already displayed the teams from the NFC North and NFC East, I now turn to the "Left Coast" and...

The NFC West

ARIZONA – After scrapping everything black, I looked at their current design. With the colors tapering around the sleeve area, it looked to me that they deserved the cuff-to-cuff sleeve and shoulder stripe treatment. I kept the same font for the numbers, minus the unnecessary black outlines. With a bird as their logo, I went with the red flying wing logo on a white helmet. A reverse scheme white secondary version was added as well.

ST. LOUIS – I just couldn’t resist putting ram-horn 'stripes' on the shoulders and reverting to the royal blue and yellow. In the late-1940s, mono-yellow was the look for the Rams. These are easily identifiable as no other team.

SAN FRANCISCO – These are pretty much a set of AAFC-style Niners. I like this flavor of gold better than today’s khaki.

SEATTLE – The original color scheme of Seattle would have never been removed. I made the sleeve stripes to mimic the bi-color pattern of the original Seahawks' logo but made the stripes a single color only and reversed the entire color scheme for the green secondary jersey.

Within this division, it is obvious that the secondary jerseys are quite the necessity. Possessing two teams who have red primary jerseys as well as two teams with blue primaries, the secondary jerseys would get worn every year. Such is the life in the "If Now Was Then" NFC West.

Next week, we wrap up the NFC as we turn to the South...

Bill Schaefer

A Head To Head History: The Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans

Visions of Earl Campbell running over defenders in Houston Oilers Columbia Blue still resonate whenever the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans engage twice each season in AFC South match-ups.

The Oilers abandoned the city of their birth following the 1996 season. After spending two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers, they were rechristened the Tennessee Titans in 1999. The accompanying complete uniform makeover included the iconic Columbia Blue changing to “Titans Blue”, though it was still similar.

The Houston Texans filled the void left by the Oilers in 2002, dressed in the colors of the state flag: navy blue, red and white. Their first game was against their in-state rival Dallas Cowboys, and the Texans started in style with a surprising 19-10 upset victory.  Coach Dom Capers seemed to have a sense of history, as he had the Texans wear their white jerseys at home, forcing the Cowboys to wear their “bad luck” blue jerseys.

The Texans first meeting with their new division rival Titans came in Week 10 at Tennessee. The Titans wore their standard Navy Blue jerseys with the Titans Blue shoulders and white pants. The Texans wore the white jerseys that had brought them the opening day win, but fell to the Titans 17-10.  Houston welcomed their estranged team back in Week 17. The Texans wore their home navy blue jerseys with white pants and Tennessee wore their white jerseys with navy blue pants and socks. The Titans won to sweep the season series between the two clubs and would do so again in 2003.

In the game at Tennessee that year the Titans broke out their new Titans Blue alternate jerseys, which gave them a bit of an Oilers feel, and wore them over their navy pants. Steve McNair had a prolific game for Tennessee with 421 yards passing and three TD’s in a 38-17 win. The game in Houston was closely contested as McNair lead a 4^th quarter comeback for a 27-24 victory.

The Texans finally found the win column against their rivals in 2004. The Houston defense gained a measure of revenge as they intercepted McNair four times in a 20-10 win in Tennessee. As in 2003, the Titans wore their alternate jerseys over navy pants. The rematch in Houston saw the Texans sweep the season series in their “Battle Red” alternate jerseys and white pants as they overcame a 21-3 deficit for a 31-21 win.

Tennessee began a seven-game win streak over Houston in 2005, with some of those wins coming in dramatic style. swept the season series the next three years. The first meeting in 2005 saw the Texans wear white-at-home over navy pants and  in the titans in their navy blue jerseys and white pants.  At Tennessee the Titans wore their now familiar alternate Titans Blue jerseys over navy blue pants. 

The same was true for the 2006 game at Tennessee, but at Houston the Titans wore their new Titans Blue pants with their white jerseys. This game was hugely anticipated as Texas Longhorn alumnus Vince Young returned to play in his native Houston. Many Houston fans had wanted the Texans to draft Young, but they instead chose DE Mario Williams. Young’s passing day was unremarkable (218 yards with an INT), but he won the game in overtime with a 39-yard touchdown run, sending the Houston fans home with mixed feelings.

In 2007 the Texans again went white-at-home, but this time the Titans wore an all-navy blue ensemble in a thrilling 38-36 shootout. Entering the 4^th quarter, the Titans owned a seemingly secure 32-7 lead over the Texans, who were under the guidance of QB Kerry Collins who filled in for an injured Vince Young, and six Rob Bironas FG’s. Sage Rosenfels (who took over for Matt Schaub during the 2nd quarter) tied an NFL record with four TD passes in the 4^th quarter, and gave the Texans a 36-35 lead with just 0:57 remaining. Collins then led the Titans from their own 20-yard-line to the Houston 11 in five plays, setting up Bironas for the game-winning and record-setting 8th FG.

The Texans ended their frustration with the  Titans in their second meeting in 2008. Andre Johnson registered the only touchdown in a game that saw Bironas and Kris Bown exchange six FG’s for a 13-12 Houston final score. The Titans again harkened back to their Houston routes for the occasion by wearing white jerseys and Titans Blue pants.

 

The following season, Houston registered their first road win in the series since 2004. The Titans wore white-at-home and their now standard Titans Blue pants for the September match-up. The Texans wore their Standard navy blue jerseys and rode the passing combination of Schaub (357 yards, four TD)  and Johnson (10 catches, 149 yards, two TD) to a 34-31 win. Kris Brown decided the outcome with a FG at 2:58. 

Brown would not fare as well in the rematch at Houston on a Monday night in November. The Texans wore their red alternate jerseys with the Titans in the same uniforms they wore in the first game. Bironas broke a 17-17 tie with a 53-yard FG with only 52 seconds remaining in the game. After the kickoff, Schaub moved the Texans from their own 38 to the Tennessee 31, but Brown’s 49-yard attempt sailed wide left.

The Texans won the first 2010 meeting handily, 20-0. However, the game is remembered by fans around the league for the fisticuffs between the NFL’s #1 instigator Cortland Finnegan and the normally mild mannered Johnson. Midway through the 4^th quarter with the Texans ahead 17-0, Finnegan and Johnson exchanged words after a succession of running plays. The second time, Johsnon shoved Finnegan, who removed his helmet and shouted back at Johnson. At the snap on the following play, Finnegan jabbed at Johsnon’s facemask, who tore off and flung Finnegans helmet and landed several blows before players from both teams and officials intervened. Both players received $25,000 fines.

The Titans won the much more civil rematch in Tennessee in Novmber 31-17. The only change in uniforms from previous years was the Texans now wore navy socks with their navy pants, and the Titans featured what has now become their standard home uniform: Titans Blue jerseys over navy pants.

Houston won a 41-7 blowout in Tennessee in 2010 on the strength of their rushing attack and defense. Both Ben Tate and Arian Foster topped 100 yards rushing while their defense limited the Titans to just 53 yards on the ground and 11 total first downs.

The Week 17 rematch in Houston was a closely contested game that saw both teams with winning records and their sights set on the post season tournament. the first three quarters saw Bironas now exchanging FG’s with Neil Rackers. Titans QB Matt Hasselebeck broke a 16-16 tie with 4:39 left in the 4^th quarter on a 23-yard pass to Nate Washington. Jake Delhomme (filling in for the injured T.J.Yates) responded with a TD of his own with only 19 seconds remaining. Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak eschewed the conventional PAT and attempt a 2-point conversion to avoid overtime. Since the Texans had already clinched the AFC South Division Title and were locked into the AFC's #3 seed there was nothing to be gained by extending the game into an extra period. The pass failed and although Tennessee finished with winning 9-7 record, they were eliminated from the playoffs via conference tie-breakers later that day when Kansas City defeated Denver. 

These teams renew their spirited rivalry in Week 4 with the undefeated Texans playing the unfamiliar role as an AFC powerhouse, but the Titans have an uncanny tendency to surprise the Texans with memorable performances in the clutch. 

Week 3 Uniform Matchup Rankings

Time to review what was worn for Week 3 by the 32 teams of the National Football League.

#16. Jets-Dolphins: Jets in green/white. Dolphins in white/white. All I'll say about this one is a heckuva lot of white. A very blah look for a very blah game.

#15. Chiefs-Saints: KC in red/white and NO in white/washed out gold. Probably would have been better if the Saints could have sported black pants, but this is what we get. Not bad, really, but not one of my favorites.

#14. Jaguars-Colts: Jags in white/white. Colts in blue/white. Not much to report here. Jax with the all white look, the Colts in the familiar blue jerseys. I don't know what could have been done to spice this one up.

#13. Falcons-Chargers: Falcons in red/white, Chargers in white/white. OK, this look on the Bolts was good last week, bit this week, not so much. Chargers would have looked much better with the navy pants that would have offset the red and white of the Falcons. But not to be. So, down it goes.

#12. Eagles-Cardinals: Birds of a feather. Eagles in white/green and Cardinals in black/white. Big Red goes the blackbirds route with the black alternate. Not sure I understand why the Cardinals use this alternate, but there it is. And it really doesn't go that badly with the Eagles as opponents, but frankly, the red would have gone a lot better.

#11. 49ers-Vikings: Niners in white/gold and the Vikings in purple/white. This is a nice matchup. The Vikes in purple just looks right and the Niners keeping it conservative with dashes of the brilliant red. Eye appealing.

#10. Rams-Bears: Rams in white/blue with the Bears in navy/white. I like me some dark pants and the Rams do just that. But if they still had and wore their gold pants, this might be one of the better matchups for the week. Still it's way better than an all-white look. Bears always look good in navy.

#9. Patriots-Ravens: NE in white/navy, BAL in purple/white. Was some talk of the Ravens in all black, but that didn't happen and that's a good thing. With the Ravens in white pants, it blends well with the Pats' color scheme. Well done.

#8. Lions-Titans: Lions in Honolulu Blue/silver and Tennessee in white/Columbia blue. This game gives me the blues (ha ha), Lions in Honolulu and Titans in Columbia and Navy. So if you like a lotta blue, this will fill your need. And I happen to like blue. So this will go up a few pegs on the TimmyB'ometer.

#7. Packers-Seahawks: The game that ended in a furor. Pack in white/green, Hawks in navy/navy. Maybe it would have been nice to see the Seahawks in white pants, but I really like this look and it pairs off well with the Packers in the white and yellow. No controversy from this end!
 

#6. Steelers-Raiders: Steelers in white/yellow and Raiders in black/silver. It might be a lot of black, but it's genuine black. Such an expected matchup, but it stands the test of time. The silver and yellow bounce off the blackness very well.

#5. Texans-Broncos:  Houston in white/navy and Denver in orange/white. This is a nice mtachup, and the main reason is that the Broncos look so right in their orange jerseys. Still grumpy that the Texans wear their navy socks instead of the reds that they put on the shelf several years ago. But this is a goody.

#4. Bills-Browns: Bills in blue/white and the Browns in white/white. The battle of Lake Erie. Or the battle of I-90. Whatever. I just love this Bills uni. And it pairs off nicely with the orange and brown trim on the Browns.

#3. Giants-Panthers: Giants in white/gray and the Panthers in Carolina blue/silver. Always joyful when the Panthers wear the Carolina blue jerseys. I always put their matchups up a few notches when they are in action. No exception here. Just looks so much better than the blacks.

#2. Buccaneers-Cowboys: Bucs in red/pewter and Cowboys in white/mint. Always have like the Bucs' red jerseys and the white pants make the whole combo pop. Alas, the pants stay pewter as the Cowboys stay in traditional home white. Still, it works.

#1. Bengals-Redskins: Bengals in white/black and Redskins in burgundy/yellow. Aaah, this is so good. A load of color, orange, white, black, burgundy, yellow. Sorta autumn-like. A dang good matchup!!

If Now Was Then...(Part 2)

Last week, I set off on a journey hypothesizing if each of the current teams were playing, right now, in the era of long sleeve jerseys and leather helmets. After establishing some ground rules guidelines that I'd follow during the process, I began by displaying the teams of the NFC North.

This week, as promised, I present my renditions of the NFC East.

The NFC EAST

DALLAS – This was one of my favorites to do, mainly because of my frustrations with Dallas’ current combos and their inconsistencies.  When Dallas first began they were royal blue and white. I went with that but added silver/grey pants to make them less Colts-like. I used the same stripe pattern from their current home white jerseys minus the useless black outlines. Large 1-color block numbers work now and would work then. Then an epiphany struck. What if Jerry Jones was the owner back then? He would have made a way for his team to stand out. Therefore, I made Dallas the only team to sport logos. I put a small star in the middle of each sleeve stripe. I went a bit further after that. If you’ll notice the helmet, I added 5 white stripes to the blue helmet. When seen from above, this would appear as a 5-pointed asterisk (*) or star. Dallas may have become one of those teams (like the Eagles of the 40s) that bounced back and forth between the two jerseys all season.

NY GIANTS – Grey pants? Check. Blue and red versions of the same jersey? Check and Check. Red and blue helmet to go with both combinations? Check.

PHILADELPHIA – The silver wing and stripes on the green helmet reminds me of the era’s 2-tone helmets. My favorite Eagles design has always been the late-70s to the early-80s design with the sleeve stripes.  Having full sleeves was the perfect canvas to recreate those awesome stripes. Nobody did sleeve stripes like Philly did.

WASHINGTON – If Minnesota was my favorite, these come in a close second. I like the look of the darker burgundy paired with the Vegas-gold from the late 40s through the 60s. The sleeve and sock stripes are the 80s style but in the new/old colors. I loved the thin stripes in the cuffs from the mid-30s and added them here. I dig the Pittsburgh Pirates number font the Skins wore from the late-40s to the early-50s. A very cool look. 

 

Next week, I will continue with the NFC West.  Stay Tuned...

Bill Schaefer

A Head To Head History: The Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers

Although the Steelers-Raiders, Vikings-49ers and Eagles-Cardinals matchups may have had more history and even series such as the Buccaneers-Cowboys, Packers-Seahawks and Patriots-Ravens may have had more memorable moments, at The Gridiron Uniform Database we are first and foremost concerned with the visual impact of a series history, so have decided to go with the Falcons-Chargers this week for our weekly series "A Head To Head History."  With the rich and vibrant reds and blacks of the Falcons and the blues and golds of the Chargers, this was a matchup history that has visually impressed.

(Plus, did you know that the Eagles and Cardinals have played each other well over a hundred times?  I just didn't have the time this week to do that many matchups! I suspect this series may be leaning toward non-conference matches whenever possible.)

Rookie Dan Fouts looked for his first win against Atlanta, but the Chargers failed 41-0

[1973 meeting]

For a few years after the 1970 AFC-NFC merger teams were continually meeting various non-conference opponents for the first time.  While we continue to debate the usefulness and desirability of interleague baseball as it becomes a season-long proposition for the first time in 2013, in the 1970s the excitement for new rivals meeting in the new NFL was a positive thing.  Of course the NFL and AFL had only played as separate leagues for a decade since the AFL's founding and were attempting to merge into one cohesive league, while baseball had established nine decades of two-separate-league traditions, meeting only for All-Star Games and the World Series and had threatened to upset that tradition with the creation of interleague play in the 1990s that would let AL and NL teams meet in-season yet still maintain distinct leagues with
differing rules.

[1979 meeting]

So none of that interleague cynicism that now grips baseball was around in San Diego on October 21, 1973 when the NFC's Atlanta Falcons came to town for these two teams' first ever meeting.  Over 40,000 people showed up at San Diego Stadium for this game, the Chargers were 1-4 and rookie Dan Fouts was making his second career start.  Two weeks earlier he had relieved the aging John Unitas and rallied the Chargers from being down 38-0 at halftime in Pittsburgh with 21 fourth quarter points to make the final score 38-21 at Three Rivers and had been handed the reigns of the Chargers for good.  The Falcons, on the other hand, were 2-3, but things looked up as those two wins were a 46-6 defeat of the Bears the previous week and a 62-7 opening day drubbing of the Saints.  Those two wins were sandwiched around three losses in which the Falcons offense looked anemic, but head coach Norm Van Brocklin was optimistic as they faced a rebuilding Chargers club that the offense would continue to roll.  The Chargers were in the final year of their white helmet with powder blue and yellow pants years and they faced a mono-white with red helmet Atlanta team.  The Falcons offense did continue to roll, and they defeated the Chargers 41-0 and continued to win, eventually getting to 8-3 with two late-season losses keeping them out of the playoffs, but at 9-5, the 1973 season was the high point of Van Brocklin tenure as Falcons head coach.

[1988 meeting]

When they met the second time, again in San Diego in 1979, the fortunes of the two franchises would be reversed.  The heyday of "Air Coryell" -- the high powered offense of Head Coach Don Coryell and Fouts would be in full swing.  The Chargers would 10-3 and a top the AFC West while the Falcons, although they had made the playoffs in 1978 were struggling at 4-9 and two years away from the best year of the Leeman Bennett-Steve Bartkowski era when they would go 12-4 in 1981.  From 1978 through 1983 the Chargers were a White At Home team, so the Falcons wore red-over-gray this time, and Atlanta prevailed in an upset, 28 to 26 at Bartkowski threw a touchdown pass to William Francis with 21 seconds left in the game.  Chargers would go on to win the AFC West, but would be knocked out of the playoffs by Houston a month later.

The next time the two teams met, in 1988, would be the first time they faced each other in Atlanta.  The Falcons wore red at home, with a jersey patch honoring #30 David Crudup.  The two teams would be struggling, however, as the Chargers were 2-8 and the Falcons 3-7.  The Chargers would win a forgettable game 10-7, but it would be the only time the Chargers have defeated the Falcons so far.  Chargers head coach Al Saunders, in his second full season, would be fired at the end of the year, while third-year Falcons' head coach Marion Campbell would be fired the following season after a 3-9 start.

Even though the Falcons won in San Diego in 1991,
Jerry Glanville wasn't happy about something

Write-up of the 1991 game

In 1991, the teams met back in San Diego in September and the Chargers' John Carney missed a possible game tying field goal and the Falcons prevailed 13 to 10.  It would be Atlanta's first win in twenty road games, and they were again wearing their home colors in San Diego, although now they had black helmets and jersey instead of red, as the Chargers were mono-white in all sixteen games of the 1991 season.  Even with the Falcons win, Jerry Glanville apparently had a problem with the officiating, as you can see in this picture where he is being restrained by Jamie Dukes.  This was also the during the Deion Sanders primetime era in Atlanta.

A nice looking 1994 HOF Game

The teams would meet again in a colorful Hall Of Fame Game in Canton in 1994, where they would both wear their throwbacks, plus again in the 1994 regular season in San Diego, with the Chargers again White at Home, this time with blue pants, and the Falcons again in black.  Both teams, of course wore the NFL's 75th Anniversary patch in the Hall Of Fame Game, but by the regular season matchup the Falcons had added a jersey patch honoring longtime team equipment manager Whitey `Zeke' Zimmerman, who died on November 3, 1994.  Under first-year head coach June Jones, the Falcons won this matchup as well, 10 to 9, in the teams first meeting at the Georgia Dome.  Even though they beat the Chargers, they struggled to a 7-9 finish, while San Diego would go 11-5 and reach their only Super Bowl, losing to San Francisco.

In 1997 the Falcons again had a rookie head coach, as it was former Broncos and Giants head coach Dan Reeves first year at the helm of Atlanta.  The team would improve upon a 3-13 '96 campaign to go 7-9 in '97, but they would be on the ascension as the met the Chargers on the way down in '97.  The Falcons were in the midst of a five game winning streak, while the Chargers were losing their last eight of the 1997 season that would lead to a 4-12 finish and cost Head Coach Bobby Ross his job.  The Chargers were no longer a all-season 'White At Home' team, wearing navy for this matchup in San Diego.  The Falcons won this game 14-3, and Atlanta would go 14-2 and make it to their only Super Bowl the following year, losing to Denver.

[1994 meeting]

[1997 meeting]

[2004 meeting]

2004 meeting in Atlanta

These two teams wouldn't meet again until 2004 when they would meet in Atlanta, and the Falcons would again win 21-20.  The Falcons were now wearing their current uniform set, and wearing a red jersey at home.  Both teams were having good seasons and the Chargers, with Drew Brees at quarteback, went 12-4 and would fall in the Wild Card round to the Jets, while the Falcons, in Jim Mora Jr.'s first season and with Michael Vick at quarterback, went 11-5 and all of the way to the NFC Championship Game, losing to Philadelphia.

[2008 meeting]

The most recent time these two teams met was in San Diego on Thanksgiving Weekend in 2008, and the Falcons wore their black pants with the white-and-red-trimmed jersey, a look I've always liked.  In my opinion, the Falcons look better in black pants with their current uniform set than the white pants, in fact I think they would look best with a red helmet and red jersey over black pants for their primary home set and red helmet, white jersey, black pants on the road.  The Chargers had switched to their current set, with the white helmet, in 2007, and were no longer predominately going white at home, wearing their navy uniforms.  Atlanta won this game as well, 22 to 16, and they would go 11-5 in Mike Smith's first season as head coach and lose to Arizona in the playoffs.  San Diego, under second year head coach Norv Turner, would be 4-8 after this game, but would win the next four games to amazingly win the AFC West at 8-8 and defeat the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round (in OT, Tony Dungy's final game) before losing to Pittsburgh in the Divisional Round.

Matt Ryan throws a pass in 2008 victory over Chargers in San Diego

Mike Smith and Norv Turner are still the head coaches for the 2012 meeting, the first time that the same coaches have met twice in this series.  The Chargers opened the home schedule with a mono-white look last week, but will they go white at home again for their ninth regular season meeting on Sunday?  The Falcons have owned this series, with a 7-1 mark, the only Charger win coming in Atlanta in 1998.  Even though these teams have had some pretty good seasons, some at the same time, these teams have never played in primetime.  Every game in this series in Atlanta has been at 1:00 PM Eastern, and every game in San Diego has been in the 4:00 PM hour (1:00 PM local).

The Falcons continue their run through the AFC West, opening 2-0 with big wins over the Chiefs and Broncos, while the Chargers are also undefeated with wins over Oakland and Tennessee.  Should be a good game in San Diego, but the Falcons look unstoppable, look for them to continue their dominance over the Chargers.

The only "Prime Time" in this series was Deion returning a punt in 1991

Week 2 Uniform Matchup Rankings (and R.I.P. Steve Sabol)

Week 2 already?

Yep, and now we get into the flow of the season. Here's my ranking from bottom to top:

#16. Texans-Jaguars: Texans in dark blue/white and the Jaguars in white/white. Yet another WAH team in Jax. This one does not do much for me. The Texans do have a nice outfit and all, but with the Jags seeming to want to distance themselves from their unique teal jerseys and I find this matchup...meh...

#15. Saints-Panthers: Saints in black/washed out vegas gold combo against the Panthers in their early season white at home (WAH) combo. The Saints gold 3/4 collar works better here than on the white jerseys. Not a thrilling matchup due to the heavy dose of black, but the hints of carolina blue helps this...some.

#14. Broncos-Falcons: Broncos in all white and Falcons in red/white. I know the striping wouldn't match, but just once, I'd like to see the Broncos wear their navy pants with the white jersey. This isn't the worst matchup, but it doesn't excite me much.

#13. Cardinals-Patriots: Cardinals in white/white and the Patriots in dark blue/silver. In recent years, the Patriots started the season going WAH. Not this season. And, I kinda like that. A bit of a bland matchup, truthfully.

#12. Raiders-Dolphins: Oakland in black/silver and the Dolphins in white/white. If you read last year's weekly rankings, you know how much I dig the Dolphs in white/aqua. But that's a look they reserve for away games. But, I can appreciate the look here. Raiders as always, looking nice in the black jerseys with the silver trim.

#11. Vikings-Colts: Vikings in the white/white combo with the Colts in the blue/white. Boy, if the Vikes would have sprung some purple pants on us, I would have had a lump in my throat. But alas. A little purple, a little blue and a lot of white. Rather a fair matchup.

#10. Jets-Steelers: The Jets in all white and the Steelers in the familiar black/yellow combo. The Jets go full white in this one, while the Steelers swing one of the more familiar looks in their black and yellows. Normally I can like this matchup, but I'm just not feeling it this week. Two teams with logo patches here, which is a rarity.

#9. Browns-Bengals: Browns in brown/white and Cincy in white/white. Thanks, Bengals for going WAH. and forcing the Browns to finally wear Brown for the first time since Week 17 when they hosted the Steelers. Bengals staying away from their black pants. But still, nice to see the uniqueness of the Browns wearing their color namesake for a change.

#8. Buccaneers-Giants: Not really a bad matchup. Giants definitely put an order to their unis this year, none of that weird stretchy stuff. Unis look much more organized.  The Bucs go with the pewter pants again and that's a plus for this encounter.

#7. Lions-49ers: Nice traditional matchup. Metals (silver and gold as I channel Burl Ives), scarlets and honolulu blues. Lions in white/silver and Niners in red/gold. Nothing fancy on their own, but when paired up, this works. 

#6. Cowboys-Seahawks: Dallas in white/mint and Seattle in monochrome dark blue. The Seahawks, continue to wear the dark/dark unis, even after the uni overhaul. And to my eyes, it looks even better than before. Cowboys with the usual. I do happen to think this is a good pairing.

#5. Ravens-Eagles: Ravens in purple/white and Eagles in white/green. Philly returns to WAH for their early home games after a year's absence. The Ravens, in a rare move, move the "Art" tribune from a helmet sticker to a jersey patch. The Eagles meanwhile have NO tribute to Steve Van Buren at all, perhaps because he played 60+ years ago? Ugh! Have a little sense of history, man! Back to today. Really not a bad matchup and credit to the Eagles for wearing the green pants or this might have been a thumbs down matchup.

#4. Titans-Chargers: Titans in two tone (columbia and navy) blue and the Chargers, for the first time in a LONG time, sport an all white look. And the Chargers did well to go with this combo. I happen to like the Bolts' white/navy combo, but two reasons why their decision to go all white really works here; 1) It's different and 2) It nicely offsets the Titans and their navy pants. A goody!

#3. Chiefs-Bills: Check this out: Chiefs: red/white/red/white. Bills: white/blue/white/blue. How about that for symmetry? Certainly one of the better matchups in Week 2.

#2. Redskins-Rams: Redskins in white/yellow and the Rams in all navy blue. If the Rams blue were more of the royal variety, this would probably be #1 on the charts with a bullet. But it's still a good one. Unlike most of my peers, I happen to like the dark/dark look. And coupled with the 'Skins in the hot yellow pants, I am a friend of this pairing.

#1. Bears-Packers: Traditional rivals and as always, one of my favorite matchups. Great colors, great contrasts, just 100% pure uni goodness. Greens, yellows, oranges and dark blues. Except for the TV numbers on the Bears going from sleeve to shoulder, Nike didn't mess with these too much.

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Before closing, we at the GUD would be remiss if we did not note the passing of Steve Sabol, who was the President of NFL Films.  Steve passed away on 9/18 at the age of 69 after a long bout with brain cancer. While his father Ed was the founder of NFL Films, Steve was the visionary and guiding force of NFL Films.  He and his cohorts turned the visual documentation of the National Football League into an art form.  It is no secret that much of our research at the GUD involved a lot of viewing of NFL Films programming.  It is likely that no sports league on the planet has been as thoroughly on documented on film as the NFL, and the great majority of the credit for that goes to Steve.  He leaves behind an immense legacy for which the GUD and all fans of the NFL are eternally grateful.

We'll be back tomorrow with a new look at a head-to-head series of an upcoming Sunday matchup, but first here's Rob Holecko with a few additional thoughts about Steve Sabol.

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Thanks, Tim...  I echo 100% your sentiments about Steve Sabol.  For the last day I have had playing in my iPod Sam Spence's iconic instrumental masterpieces that we all associate with NFL Films.  The classic NFL Films style -- slow-motion, tight-on-the-spiral, with the John Facenda / Harry Kalas narrations is how generations grew up enjoying the NFL.  That style is due to Steve.  He was NFL Films, and he subconsciously embedded in our collective psyche a heroic and entertaining quality to the NFL that in no small way continues to shape what we think of the sport today.  Whenever we hear that music or see an old NFL Films clip we think of how "it used to be", the good old days of football.  Whether it is that classic Sam Spence music that you hum along with with words that aren't there from an old sea shanty:  "What do you do with a drunken sailor/What do you do with a drunken sailor/What do you do with a drunken sailor/Early in the morning" or the visual image of Jackie Smith dropping a sure touchdown in Super Bowl XIII along with Verne Lundquist's radio call: "He's got to be the sickest man in America" or the visual image of Old Man Willie running for a touchdown in Super Bowl XI as we stared into his eyes, or simply John Facenda talking about the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, or Franco Harris reaching down, just out of frame to catch the ball (or not) and go down the sideline with the winning touchdown, or Joe Montana rolling to his right and throwing the ball to just the right spot where Dwight Clark could reach up to the heavens to snatch it, a moment so perfect that we can call it simply "The Catch", all of these images, these iconic moments that we recall, the way that we recall them, is due to NFL Films and Steve Sabol.

For a certain generation of us when we were twelve years old, and depending on exactly what year we were born or what part of the country we were in, in the back yard we imagined we were Montana or Roger Staubach or John Elway or Terry Bradshaw, or Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Bart Starr or even Vinny Testaverde, we dropped back to throw the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.  In this imaginary fantasy, in our mind's eye we were the heroic champion snatching that moment of victory.  And it all played out in slow motion, because that was how we had seen it done -- John Elway backpeddaling on a cold winter's day in Cleveland and throwing a quick slant pass low to the ground to culminate "The Drive" or a million other moments like that -- in our mind those moments all occurred in slow motion, with Spence providing the soundtrack and Facenda the words.  That world, that emotional connection that so many of us have with football is largely due to the work of Steve Sabol.

Yesterday in Uni Watch, someone linked to an article that was written last summer for the Philadelphia Inquirer about how NFL Films is being dismantled due to the league's creation of and investment in the NFL Network.  Here is a link to that story, it is a good read, and it is sad to see what has become of the organization that for millions of us created how the NFL looked.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-29/sports/29829579_1_nfl-films-nfl-films-nfl-network

We leave you with a clip from NFL Films, and RIP Steve: