The Gridiron Uniform Database: 2012-12-16

A GUD Blog Extra: Another look at a Super Sunday That Could Have Been

About a month or two ago, as our Bill Schaefer was wrapping up his wonderful blog series, "If Then Was Now" (or "If Now Was Then" or whatever it was about the 1940s concepts)... I suggested we continue it through the rest of the season by having people vote for which concepts they liked best in a series of head-to-head matchups, with the concepts competing with each other for Divisional Titles and Wild Cards and eventually concluding with a "Super Bowl" of the best 1940s-ish concepts meeting right around time of the actual Super Bowl in February. However Bill and Tim overrulled me on that and suggested we go with a new blog series that Bill had been planning, "Super Sundays That Could Have Been", which you all have been enjoying for the past five weeks.

Although I hated to abandon my 1940s concepts tournament idea (perhaps we'll revisit that another time), I looked forward to this new blog series. For me one of the greatest disappointments of Super Bowl history, as far as uniforms go, (besides that Super Bowls X and XIII looked identical -- same cities, same teams -- although X was daytime on astroturf on CBS and XIII was nighttime on grass on NBC -- one game should have seen Dallas wear blue, just so it would have been opposite of the other, IMO.) was that in Super Bowl XXIX, the NFL's 75th Anniversary season, when every team wore a throwback uniform of some sort, the Chargers did not wear their iconic powder blue throwbacks, or at least the white road version of it. San Francisco was so successful that season that they even adopted their throwback full time and wore it in the Super Bowl, and continued to wear it in the following seasons.

The Chargers powder blue throwback, in fact, is one iconic throwback jersey that people love to see and the team has even adopted a powder blue alternate in recent years. When Bill started this series, the Super Bowl wrong that I was most excited to see rectified was that the Chargers didn't wear their throwback. Imagine my dismay when the blog came out this week without it as one of the choices. Bill chose to just stick with the worn combo and the opposite home-and-away versions of those combos, eschewing any other additional choices and/or color-vs-color opportunities, etc.

So to rectify that here is a "bonus" poll for you.... eight additional combo choices for Super Bowl XXIX, (including a color-vs-color all-throwback matchup) so we can truly see which matchup would have been most preferred. Now we can truly see which Super Bowl XXIX combo might have looked the best.

Week 15 Weekly Uniform Rankings

For the first time in a couple of seasons, we have a color vs color matchup. We also have a second week of the wearin' of the Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary patches.

On the whole, I happen to think this week was - top to bottom - perhaps the best one of the season.

#16) Jaguars-Dolphins: JAX in black/white, MIA in mono white. Had the Jags went all black, this might have been the thumbs down matchup of the season. But they salvage a little something with the white britches, which gives this matchup a flicker of life. Just a flicker.

#15) Buccaneers-Saints: TB in white/pewter, NO in all black. Hmph. No TB white pants, again. Tsk. No NO gold pants, again. So this was - in a sense - predictable. If one change could have brought this one to the fold, it would have been the Saints in gold pants. That would have been an awesome play of the mteals at work. No gold, no go to this matchup.

#14) Panthers-Chargers: CAR in all white, SD in navy/white. Just not feeling love for this one. Not sure why. They are good uniforms on their own, but together, it doesn't mesh. The Panthers in all white and baby blue socks, the Chargers in navy with white pants aand navy socks. Put 'em together and it adds up to meh.

#13) Broncos-Ravens: DEN in all white, BAL in purple/white. Ravens should have gone purple/black in this one. Would have given this matchup a little life. Instead, we have a bounty of white that relegates some vibrant colors like gold and orange to a trim status. But one question: Why no HOF patch on the Ravens' jerseys??

#12) Vikings-Rams: MIN in white/white, STL in blue/blue. Rams have gone all season wearing blue pants with blue jerseys. I find that just a little peculiar. But it does work in this one, against the Vikes in white. Gold and yellow as supporting trim colors.

#11) Colts-Texans: IND in white/white, HOU in navy/white. Colts in that oh so white look, with the Texans in modern navy with a hint of red trim. For whatever reason, this is a pleasant look to me, when I think early this season, I would have said, "yuck."

#10) Bengals-Eagles: CIN in white/black, PHI in green/white. The season's last Thursday nighter features some - but not a lot - of color. Some green, orange and a good bit of black. Glad the Bengals broke out the black pants. Made this a very good matchup.

#9) Giants-Falcons: NYG in white/gray, ATL in red/white. A lot of red, but a lot to like. Red is used very nicely here. The right amount of blue and black, as helmet colors. Sweet pairings at work.

#8) Steelers-Cowboys: PIT in black/yellow, DAL in white/mint. Ahh, Steelers-Cowboys, three Super Bowls were played with these two in almost exactly the same look. It does hold up well. The colors evoke titan epic battles, with some sweet colors. A winner, then and now.

#7) 49ers-Patriots: SF in white/gold, NE in navy/silver. Metallurgy at work. Gold and silver, or as Burl Ives sang it a long time ago, "Silver and Gold." Plus the red trin on the Niners and the predominant navy of the Patriots. One of a number of good matchups this week.

#6) Chiefs-Raiders: KC in white/red, OAK in black/silver. This uni matchup goes back decades, and it's just as good as ever. This is a prime example of when good looks come together, they become even better. No, not the glory days of this rivalry (definitely not!), but still it looks mighty fine.

#5) Jets-Titans: NYJ in white/green, TEN in two-tone blue. Oddish pairing of color, but a boss one. The green pants worn by the Jets really pumps this one. I think this is my favorite uni combo worn by the Jets and against the columbia/navy of the Titans, it's a spot on fit.

#4) Lions-Cardinals: DET in white/silver, ARZ in red/white. OK, I am over my snit about the Cardinals shelving the red pants for 2012. And so, without pretense, this is actually a pretty fair matchup. The cardinal red goes smoothly up against the silver and honolulu blue. And, yes, the white pants work better than the red pants would have.

#3) Seahawks-Bills: SEA in gray/gray, BUF in blue/white. Played in Toronto, this game features the first time for the Seahawks in the "wolf" gray jerseys going against the Bills in that vibrant blue jersey. I happen to like it. A good shade of gray, that wolf. This works great against the Bills with the blue and just the right amount of red, as well as they green and navy trim of the Seahawks. Thumbs up, eh?

#2) Redskins-Browns: WSH in white/yellow, CLE in brown/white. Biy, do these two bring out the best in each other's looks. The color is great. Burgundy, yellow, orange, brown. Late autumn in all its brilliance. One of the better ones for Week 15.

#1) Packers-Bears: GB in white/yellow, CHI in throwback navy/white. Sweet! Y'know, when the Bears really did wear this gear, the Packers usually also wore navy jerseys as well! But that's ancient history. The Bears throwbacks work well and they remove the "C" from the helmet to give it more...old-timiness. Packers in one of the nicest white jerseys there is. Great matchup.

A Head-to-Head History: Week 15 Vikings - Rams

Editors's Note -- here is Larry Schmitt with a look back at last week's Rams-Vikings matchup, due to errors on my part, it didn't get published right away:

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I'd like to open this morning with a "Namaste" to all my neighbor's in Sandy Hook and Newtown, Connecticut. This has been a profoundly sad 48 hours here in Western Connecticut. I live in nearby New Milford (where my son's high school was on lock-down for 2 1/2 hours Friday) and work in neighboring Bethel. I spent 11 weekends over 2010 completing my 200-hour yoga teacher training at the Graceful Planet studio in Sandy Hook, which is right down the hill from the Sandy Hook Elementary School, and adjacent to a day care facility. Among the many thoughts I've had as I process all the images and stories I've been absorbing since Friday morning are, how many of those children whose artwork I saw on display during that time were present Friday at that moment? I have many friends and co-workers who live in Sandy Hook and Newtown who have children that currently attend or have recently attended S.H.E.S. I know they recognize their good fortune, with their loved ones having been out of harms way, but the grief for those who were not is sincerely shared by the entire community.

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A forgotten rivalry.

This week's look back will be a little different than most. It's going to have a more narrowed focus on a specific period, but I believe there is good reason for it.

After looking at the NFC Playoff picture Monday the Week 15 schedule had a game that jumped right off the page at me: Minnesota at St. Louis. That might be puzzling at first, after all, both teams are probably long shots to qualify for the post season. However, there was a time when the Vikings and Rams dominated the NFC - along with Dallas - and had one of the fiercest non-divisional rivalries over the NFL's history. Between the years 1969 - 1979 Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams competed for the NFL or NFC Title eight times, including twice against one another. There were three additional Divisional games between them as well. The Vikings had the upper hand most of the time, compiling a 4-1 win-loss record over Los Angeles, but the games were closely contested and bitterly fought. The teams had similar styles as well, ground oriented offenses and household names on defense like Merlin Olsen, Alan Page, Deacon Jones and Jim Marshall. Best of all, the Rams and Vikings played their games outdoors on grass fields in all kinds of weather, they were still a generation away from morphing into teams that filled domes with arcing spirals.

It all started in 1969, the final season before the AFL-NFL merger.

On Week 12 the "Purple People Eaters" met the "Fearsome foursome" as 10-1 Minnesota (who hadn't lost since opening day) traveled to the Los Angeles Coliseum to visit the 11-0 Rams. The Vikings rode their rushing attack to build a 17-3 halftime lead, then held off the come back attempt by QB Roman Gabriel's offense. The 20-13 loss sent the Rams into a tailspin that saw George Allen's team finish 11-3. Bud Grant's squad was only marginally better, squeaking by San Francisco 10-7 before losing to Atlanta at home. Neither team was challenged for their respective division title however, so the stage was set for the NFL Divisional Playoff.

12/27/69 NFL Divisional Playoff: MIN 23 vs LAR 20
Late December in Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium was far from the ideal location for a southern California team, but early on the Rams did not seem affected by the 21-degree temperature. Ram QB Gabriel moved the ball well in the first half, leading three scoring drives and a fourth that ended with a 38-yard field goal attempt sailing wide in the wind chill. Joe Kapp could only lead his team to a touchdown, leaving the halftime score 17-7.

The Viking defense held the Rams to a punt on their first possession of the third quarter, and Kapp capitalized with a deep completion to Gene Washington. Dave Osborne finished the drive with a one-yard plunge, cutting the lead to 17-14. Two Kapp interceptions thereafter proved costly for Minnesota. The first occurred deep in Los Angeles territory and kept the Vikings off the scoreboard. The second was on his own side of the 50 and lead to a Ram field goal, extending the Ram lead to 20-14. He made up for it in the fourth quarter. Kapp put together a 65-yard drive that started with three pass completions and ended with a two-yard keeper for a touchdown to give the vikings their first lead 21-20 with just over eight minutes to play. The Peuple People eaters lived up to their billing as soon as they took the field. Carl Eller sacked Gabriel in the end zone for a safety, extending the lead to 23-20. the Fearsome foursome held Minnesota's offense though, and got the ball back to NFL MVP Gabriel one more time. He valiantly advanced his team into Minnesota territory, but was intercepted by Alan Page with 31 seconds remaining. Minnesota defeated Cleveland the following week for the NFL Title, but lost to Kansas City in Super Bowl IV.
Minnesota won three more from the Rams between 1970 - 1973. The following season would see the next post seaosn meeting, which also had a regular season prelude.

12/29/74 NFC Championship: MIN 14 vs LAR 10
The Rams, now coached by Chuck Knox and quarterbacked by James Harris, hosted the Vikings in Week 11 of the 1974 season. Fran Takenton passed and scrambled his team to a 17-6 lead after three quarters. The Los Angeles defense, lead by Fred Dryer and Jack Youngblood, asserted itself in the final quarter. Harris lead two touchdown drives, scoring on a rush first, then passing to WR Jack snow for the second. the Rams come-from-behind win was their first against Minnesota since 1968. Both teams won the their divisions with 10-4 records and won their divisional round playoff games, setting up their first NFC Championship clash.

The game took place once again at frigid Metropolitan Stadium. The first quarter was a defensive stalemates. In the second period Tarkenton hit Jim lash for a 29-yard touchdown strike and the Rams responded with a field goal. The second half was a tense battle, with dramatic swings in momentum and fortune. A Viking punt pinned the Rams on their own one-yard line. After moving up-field, Harris hit WR Harold Jackson for a 73-yard gain to the Viking two, but the opportunity to go ahead was lost when a third down pass was intercepted in the end zone for a touch back. The Los Angeles drive covered 98 yards but yielded zero points.

The Vikings did not squander their opportunity however. A 15-play drive that consumed almost half the 4th quarter was completed by a Dave Osborn 4-yard touchdown run for a 14-3 lead. Harris brought the Rams back quickly however, hitting Jackson on another deep play, this time for 44-yards and the touchdown, making the score 14-10. Following an exchange of punts, Minnesota moved the chains with their rushing attack and expired the remaining 5:37 on the clock. The Vikings would then lose Super Bowl IX to Pittsburgh two weeks later.

The teams did not meet in the regular or post seasons in 1975, but 1976 saw another season where the NFC powers would battle twice. The Week 2 game in the LA Coliseum finished in a 10-10 tie, where the Vikings let a 10-0 4th quarter lead slip away. Niether team scored in the extra sudden-death period. Both teams went on to easily win their divisions - Minnesota at 11-2-1 and Los Angeles at 10-3-1. After winning their Divisional Round contests, the Vikings and Rams would meet again in the NFC Championship Game.

12/26/76 NFC Championship: MIN 24 vs LAR 13
A frozen Metropolitan Stadium was again the setting for the Vikings - Rams showdown. Despite the 19-degree kickoff temperature, the Rams again started off well. QB Pat Haden drove his team deep into Minnesota territory, mostly by handing off to HB Lawrence McClutcheon, before disaster struck. The Vikings defense was stout on their goal line, stuffing the Rams offense. On second down a reverse was stopped inches short of the end zone. On third down Haden was stopped on a sneak attempt. On fourth-and-goal Tom Dempsey's 17-yard FG attempt was blocked by Nate Allen and the ball bounced right to Bobby Bryant who sprinted 90 yards for a 7-0 lead. Los Angeles seemed deflated and fell behind 17-0 in the third quarter, but climbed back into the contest with back-to-back touchdowns that cut the lead to 17-13 (one extra point failed) entering the fourth quarter. Both defenses clamped down until Haden started a drive late in the game. On a fourth-and-ten at the Minnesota 39, Haden launched a deep pass toward WR Ron Jessie who was initially open near the end zone, but S Bryant came across the field and made a spectacular interception, practically taking the ball from Jessie's hands with only 2:40 left. Tarkenton quickly lead the Vikings to a touchdown to ice the game and send the Vikings to their fourth Super Bowl. Unfortunately they again lost, this time to Oakland.

Nobody can blame the Rams for feeling confident heading into their 1977 Division Playoff against their tormentors from Minnesota. In the regular season they flexed their muscles in a 35-3 whipping, star QB Fran Tarkenton was out with a broken leg and the game would be played in sunny Southern California instead of frigid Minnesota. The sun didn't shine on the Rams, figuratively and literally.

12/26/77 NFC Divisional Playoff: MIN 14 @ LAR 7

Three consecutive days of heavy rain turned the grass field of the LA Coliseum into a quagmire. Five minutes into the first quarter any spectator would have no idea the Vikings were wearing their road white jerseys or the Rams their home royal blue. Both were heavily caked with turf and smeared with mud making number identification almost impossible.

Viking coach Grant surprised the Rams with a pass heavy opening drive. Stand-in Bob Lee completed five in a row. A five yard rush by Foreman finished the drive and just like the Minnesota was ahead 7-0.

It comes as no surprise that both teams struggled to move the ball in those bog-like conditions. They each had only 14 first downs, and Lee finished the day 0-5 passing after that first drive. The best thing that went Minnesota's was was ball security. They did not turn the ball over while their defense had three interceptions of Haden.

After extending the lead to 14-0 early in the fourth quarter, Minnisota called 28 consecutive rushing plays, keeping the clock moving and the Ram offense on the sideline. Los Angeles did score late to make the score 14-7 but Lee ran out the clock with three kneel-downs after Haden's final desperation pass was intercepted. Foreman had a 101-yard effort int eh win for the Vikings and DE Alan Page was a force on defense with a sack and many pressures forcing Haden into errant throws. Minnesota lost the NFC Championship Game in Dallas the following week.

12/31/78 NFC Divisional Playoff: MIN 10 @ LAR 34

The Rams revenge was thorough in 1978, sweeping Minnesota handily in both games that year.

The Week 6 game in 45 degree Minnesota actually saw the Vikings carry a 17-13 lead intot he 4th quarter, but the visitors erupted into a 21 poitn barrage for the runaway 34-17 win.

That momentum seemed to carry through the rest of the regular season. The Rams took the West title with a he Vikings sputtered to an 8-7-1 Central Division tie with Chicago. The Vikings battled the Rams to a 10-10 halftime tie, but Grant's aging squad wore down the second half, gaining only 59 yards of offense, as the Rams cruised to a 34-10 win. The Rams were foiled at home in the NFC Championship game 28-0 at the hands of Dallas.

In 1979 Los Angeles would not meet the Vikings, who slumped to the third place 7-9 record, but did finally reach their first Super Bowl, but lost a competitive game to Pittsburgh.

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The Vikings and Rams would renew their post season rivalry after the 1988 and 1999 season, but in far different environs - the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the TWA Dome respectively and with teams that relied heavily on the passing game. The 1988 Vikings won their Divisional contest 28-17 but lost the NFC Championship in Washington. The St. Louis Rams defeated the Vikings in the Divisional round 49-37 (what would George Allen or Chuck Knox think of a score like that?) on their way to the franchise's first Super Bowl Title.

Well, Sunday the Rams and Vikings faced off again, and it looked nothing like those classic battles of the 1970s. The Rams wearing a monochrome blue, and the Vikings wearing road whites in the new post-2006 style. Both teams are still alive for the postseason, although the Rams are an extreme long shot at best, now at 6-7-1 after losing 36 to 22. The Vikings are right in the thick of the Wild Card battle at 8-6, and with Adrian Peterson (a Viking) trying to break the single season rushing record of Eric Dickerson (a Ram), the season still has some excitement left in store for Vikings fans.

Which Super Bowl XXIX combo do you prefer?
	Actual (SD white regular, SF throwback red)
	Alternate 1 (SF white throwback, SD navy regular)
	Alternate 2 (SF white throwback, SD powder throwback)
	Alternate 3 (SD white throwback, SF red throwback)
	Alternate 4 (SD white regular, SF red regular)
	Alternate 5 (SF white regular, SD navy regular)
	Alternate 6 (SF white regular, SD powder throwback)
	Alternate 7 (SD white throwback, SF red regular)
	Alternate 8 (SD throwback powder, SF throwback red)

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Which Super Bowl XXVI combo do you prefer?
	Actual (WAS whitre, BUF blue)
	Alternate (BUF white, WAS blue)

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Which Super Bowl XXVII combo do you prefer?
	Actual (BUF blue, DAL white)
	Alternate (DAL blue, BUF white)

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Which Super Bowl XXVII combo do you prefer?
	Actual (DAL white, BUF blue)
	Alternate (BUF white, DAL blue)

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Which Super Bowl XXIX combo do you prefer?
	Actual (SD white, SF red)
	Alternate (SF white, SD blue)

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Which Super Bowl XXX combo do you prefer?
	Actual (DAL white, PIT black)
	Alternate (PIT white, DAL throwback blue)

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A GUD Blog Extra: Another look at a Super Sunday That Could Have Been

Week 15 Weekly Uniform Rankings

A Head-to-Head History: Week 15 Vikings - Rams

The "Super Sundays" That Could Have Been...26-30