If Now Was Then... (Part 5)

Over the past month, I've provided some concept art for your amusement. Under the premise of "What would the current NFL teams look like is today was the era of long-sleeve jerseys and leather helmets," we have looked at the NFC teams and their 'retro' looks.

Today we begin the second half of the story...the AFC.

As I mentioned last week, the recent AFL documentary entitled "Full Color Football" was partially (or even maybe wholly) named for the fact that the AFL teams were clad in uniforms much more colorful and vibrant than their NFL counterparts at the time. I have embraced that line of thinking for the majority of the AFC teams whose heritage traces back to the early days of the American Football League.

With that being said, I present to you...
 

The AFC North

BALTIMORE – Their current jerseys lack sleeve stripes, so I stuck with that. Removing the outlines and drop-shadows on the numbers, I still kept the same font.  A purple helmet with a black flying wing (ravens are black) works well.

CINCINNATI – When I got to the Bengals, I thought “If any team was going to push the boundaries of World War II-era uniforms it would be Cincinnati.” I have a soft spot in my heart for the mono-orange Brooklyn Tigers uniforms so I “Cincy-fied” that combination for the primary. What are Bengals without stripes? Tame by comparison to today’s standards, I made the cuff-to-cuff stripes striped in the non-jersey colors. Black and white stripes on the orange jersey and orange and white stripes on the secondary black jerseys. I didn’t stop there. Drawing on some fine hosiery of the 1930s Bears, I gave the Bengals socks the black-white-orange barber pole effect. A black leather helmet with orange stripes tops this neon-sign of a uniform.

CLEVELAND – Like Chicago 4 weeks ago, this was easy. Brown and orange versions of Cleveland jerseys from the 1940s (AAFC) and 1950s. These ARE Cleveland.

 

PITTSBURGH – Aside for the black and yellow striped helmet, these were the World War II-era Steelers. They look sharp. Oh, and the Steelers NEED to be in block numbers.

Well, there is the AFC North. I'll be back next Tuesday with the AFC East.

(My eyes are still burning from the Cincinnati combos! Ouch!)

Bill Schaefer