A Head-to-Head History: The Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL's Western Division as an expansion team in 1961 and wasted no time making their mark with a surprising upset in their very first game, a 37-13 whipping of their new Western Division rival Chicago Bears in Metropolitan Stadium. Possibly even more unique than their rookie scrambling quarterback Fran Tarkenton was the fact that the Viking's uniforms featured purple as their primary color, the last team to do so was the 1933 Portsmouth Spartans. Tarkenton had a magnificent afternoon in his debut, throwing for 250 yards and four touchdowns against George Halas' normally stout defensive unit that featured future Hall of Fame members Bill George and Doug Atkins. 

Normalcy returned in their second match-up that year as the established team Chicago rolled to a 52-35 win at Wrigley Field. That win set off a period of domination where the Bears record against the Vikings would be 11-2-2, which included and NFL Championship for the Bears in 1963.

Butkus and the Bears captured the 1963 NFL Title, while Marshall and the Vikings
got theirs in 1969, before losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

Payton carries against
Minnesota in 1983

In 1984 the Bears emerged as the divisions dominant team and had one of the great season in NFL history in 1985 when the 15-1 Bears ran roughshod over the NFL on their way to a dominant victory in Super Bowl XX. By the time Chicago came to visit Minnesota in Week 7 of the 1986 season, the Bears had won 12 consecutive games, which included six-in-a-row against their divisional foes. The most recent came just two weeks earlier in Soldier Field where the Bears bullied Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer with seven sacks in a miserable 11-for-30 performance in a 23-0 rout. Things were quite the opposite in the Metrodome however. Kramer was six for six for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, giving Minnesota an early lead and allowing his defense to return the favor on Bears signal caller Steve Fuller with seven sacks of their own. The Vikings out-gained Chicago 263-56 in total yards in the first half as they built a 16-0 lead. The final tally ended 23-7 as the stout Minnesota defense limited Payton to 28 yards on nice carries. The Vikings finished in second place in the division with a 9-7 record but did not qualify for the playoffs. Chicago went on to a 14-2 record but were upset at home in the Divisional Round by the Washington Redskins.

Harbaugh and Ditka get into it in 1992

The division rivals met in Week 14 of the 1994 season with the NFC Central title on the line. The 8-4 Bears and 7-5 Vikings exchanged the lead four times through the first three quarters as the Bears lead 24-16. Warren Moon lead Minnesota on scoring drives for a field goal, then a touchdown capped with a two-point conversion to retake the lead for Minnesota 27-24 with 4:12 remaining. Steve Walsh then lead the Bears on a drive that tied the game with a 33-yard Kevin Butler field goal at 1:55 tying the score 27-27. Butler had a chance to win the game with a 40-yard attempt in overtime but the ball sailed wide left. From their own 35, Moon lofted a pass to Chris Carter at mid-field, who had made a double-move, and outraced the Bears secondary the final 50 yards for the deciding 65-yard touchdown for a stunning 33-27 win.  Minnesota went on to win the division at 10-6 and the Chicago finished second at 9-7. The two met again at the Metrodome in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Chicago took the rematch with an opportunistic defense, intercepting Moon twice and recovering two fumbles, while limiting the Vikings to only 49 yards on the ground in a 35-18 win. The Bears would lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers the following week. 

Although most Vikings-Bears meetings were fairly typical uniform-wise, in 2007 in the Metrodome, the Vikings went mono-purple, while the following year they
went retro and the Bears went mono-white...

...and in the second game in 2008 in Chicago, the Bears broke out the Orange Alts...

...and two years later in November 2010, the Bears went retro themselves,
while the Vikings donned purple pants

The Vikings won the next two meetings in Minnesota, while the Bears then won the following two meetings in Chicago.  The second meeting, in late 2010, after a winter storm collapsed the Metrodome roof, was played in frigid temperatures at University of Minnesota's TCF Bank stadium.  It would be memorable for being the final appearance of Brett Favre's career, and the Vikings would lose 40-14.
The arrival of head coach Bud Grant from the CFL and the Purple People Eaters front four featuring Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen turned the tide of the series. From 1969 through 1983 the Vikings record against Chicago was 22-6. This period included 10 Division Titles and many epic playoff contests with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. Unfortunately, all four Super Bowl appearances for the Vikings ended with disappointing losses.


In the midst of this Minnesota NFC Central domination, came a record setting performance from a remarkable player. In  Week 10 of the 1977 season the 6-3 Vikings visited the 4-5 bears. Halfback Walter Payton was ill with the flu, but coach Jack Pardee knew his star back was Chicago's only chance against Minnesota's strong defensive front.  Chicago's first play on the cold, damp, windy afternoon at Soldier Field was an end run where Payton charged ahead for 29 yards. The all rush drive ended in Minnesota territory on a failed fake field goal attempt, but Payton would fin the end zone in the second quarter on a one yard plunge, and a Bob Thomas field goal gave the Bears a 10-0 halftime lead. The weather conditions were so foul that Bears quarterback Bob Avellini attempted just one pass in the half, a six-yard completion to Payton, who had 26 carries for 144 yards - an impressive total for a full game! The first Bears possession of the third quarter resulted in a punt being blocked for a Viking touchdown, cutting the lead to 10-7. Both defenses clamped down and yards were at a premium. When the Bears received the ball at their own 20 yard line with 5:38 Payton had 201 yards on 36 carries. After picking up a first down, Payton gained 58 yards on his 38th carry, being tackled at the Vikings nine-yard line. Two rushes and a sack gave Chicago a fourth-and-goal and coach Pardee did not have confidence in a field goal attempt, even from short range. Payton rushed for six and was tackled at the two, giving him 275 yards, breaking O.J. Simpson's record of 273. The Bears defense held on for the victory, evening Chicago's record at 5-5. Both teams finished the season at 9-5. The Bears qualified for the post season for the first time since 1963 but lost to Dallas in the Wild Card Round. Minnesota won the Central Division, defeated the Rams in the Divisional round but lost to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game.



One of the series most unforgettable moments occurred in the fourth quarter of a game at the Metrodome in October 1992 with Chicago nursing what seemed like a comfortable 20-0 lead. Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh had played well, leading four scoring drives, throwing for a touchdown and running for another. On a first down he called an audible, but telegraphed a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Coach Mike Ditka was apoplectic, and met Harbaugh on the field, screaming, cursing and gesturing wildly. After the game, Ditka did not back down, and told the press, "I'll just say this...if it happens again, there will be changes made and they will be definite and they will be permanent. I'm not going to put 47 players' futures in the hands of one player who thinks he knows more than I do." The sudden change in momentum was palpable. The Chicago offense stagnated, gaining only two first down the rest of the way, while the Minnesota offense capitalized. Quarterback Rich Gannon was a perfect 7-7 in leading two touchdown drives to complete the improbable comeback. This was the beginning of the end for Coach Ditka in Chicago. The Bears struggled to a 5-11 record, their worst in a decade. The Vikings won the NFC Central title with an 11-5 mark but exited the playoffs in the Wild Card round with a loss at home to the Washington Redskins.

Chicago and Minnesota had a memorable meeting in 2007 when the teams traded scores six times in nine possessions during a back-and-forth, fourth quarter scoring barrage.  The Vikings broke a 14-14 tie with a 73-yard touchdown run by rookie Adrian Peterson in the third quarter (who had also scored from 63 yards out in the second quarter.) and extended the lead to 24-14 following a Ryan Longwell field goal at the start of the fourth. Chicago answered with a field goal on the next possession to cut the lead to seven, but Petersen swept around left end from the Bears 35 and raced for his third touchdown of the game to extend the Minnesota lead to 31-17 at 4:20. Brian Griese had a deep pass intercepted, but the Bears defense bailed him out by forcing the Vikings to go three-and-out.  A three play 53-yard drive finished with a Griese-to Mushing Muhammed touchdown cutting the Viking lead to 31-24. The onside kick attempt failed, but the Vikings again went three-and-out, punting the Bears deep. On second-and-ten, Griese lofted a deep pass to Devin Hester, who caught the ball at the Chicago 35, juked a defender and raced into the end zone for the tying score to complete the 81-yard play at 1:49. Peterson returned the kickoff 53 yards for Minnesota, setting the Vikings up at the Chicago 38. After three plays netted just one yard, Longwell was good on a 55-yard field goal attempt, the longest of his career, for the 34-31 Vikings victory, their first in Chicago in seven years. Peterson finished the game with a Minnesota club record 224 yards rushing on only 20 carries.

Special teams played a pivotal role for the Vikings in the 2008 Soldier Field meeting, but this time it was to the Bears benefit. Chicago scored twice on punt plays, but surprisingly neither involved return ace Hester. With the game tied 7-7 in the first quarter, Chris Kluwe bobbled the snap and had his punt blocked. Kluwe illegally kicked the ball a second time while it was on the ground right to defender Garret Wolfe who returned it 17 yards for a touchdown (second picture above). Midway through the second quarter with the score tied at 17, Viking returner Charles Gorman had the ball bounce off his leg inside his own 10 yard line, which Chicago's Zackary Bowman recovered in the end zone for the touchdown. The back-and-forth scoring continued through the half and third quarters, which included a 51-yard touchdown catch by Marty Booker. After a one-yard rush by Matt Forte opened the lead to 17 points, Minnesota attempted a comeback attempt. Gus Frerotte lead the Vikings to a field goal and touchdown to close the gap to 48-41, but with a chance to tie the game his final pass was intercepted and the Bears ran the clock out. The 41 points were the most Chicago has ever surrendered in a victory.  

Last year, the 8-8 Bears swept the 3-13 Vikings, winning in October on Sunday Night Football at Soldier Field and again in Minnesota for the season finale in December.  The 2012 Bears are 7-3 and are reeling having lost two straight primetime games with QB Jay Cutler being injured.  Cutler should be back today, but the Vikings are revitalized this year behind QB Christian Ponder and at 6-4 are in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race.  In just two weeks these two teams will meet again in the Metrodome, possibly with the Division title on the line, although the 7-3 Green Bay Packers also figure to have in say in that as well.

Week 11 Weekly Uniform Rankings

#14. Jets-Rams: NYJ in all white, STL in all blue. Unlike the JAX-HOU where I found mono a mono refreshing, I find this one repulsing. Maybe it's because I KNOW this one could have been so much better, had the Jets worn green pants and the Rams checked in with white pants. But no. Like the Cardinals, the Jets are keeping their dark pants on the shelves. And the Rams, well, we have yet to see them in the blue/white look for 2012. Sad.

#13. Saints-Raiders: NO in white/black, OAK in black/silver. We know what the Raiders would wear, what would the Saints go with? Gold pants, to make this an Alloy Bowl, full of silver and gold, or black pants, to create a bit of a Coal Bowl, with loads of black. The call to coal was heeded. As a result, a little to black for my taste.

#12. Chargers-Broncos: SD in white/navy, DEN in alternate all navy. The old normal is now the new alternate. Broncos, by making the dark blues a rarity, make this look even better. Just one problem, wearing this against the Chargers makes this matchup too blue. So, it's a bit of a wash.

#11. Jaguars-Texans: JAX in all white, HOU in all dark blue. Jaguars go back to an all white look and after a steady diet of black, a little relief. And the Texans rocking a mono dark blue. While I moaned long and hard about all of the mono unis last week, this one works. Perhaps it's the rare dar-dark look of the Texans, but I do find this an appealing matchup.

#10. Buccaneers-Panthers: TB in white/pewter, CAR in black/silver. After all of the justifiable buzz last week of the Panthers in all black + shocking blue socks, Carolina returns to normal with the black and silver pants and black socks. Bucs still add metallic joy with the pewter pants. It's still a fine get together.

#9. Cardinals-Falcons: ARZ in all white, ATL in red/white. Not one of the better ones. True, the Falcons in their superior reds, but again the Cardinals preference to keep the red pants tucked away in the closet is diappointing. Black is used nicely. Understated and not overwheleming.

#8. Colts-Patriots: IND in all white, NE in navy/silver. This one hearkened back to the peak of this matchup, the 2000's. Championships on the line, Manning vs. Brady, Belichick vs. Dungy/Caldwell, etc. And I guess because of that, I give this a little bit of better grade than maybe it deserves.

#7. Packers-Lions: GB in white/yellow, DET in honolulu blue/silver. Tried and true, whether at Tiger Stadium, the Silverdome or Ford Field, you know what you're getting here. Choice colors in yellow, green, silver and that honolulu shade of blue, with a pinch of black. Nothing flashy, nothing dull. Just a steady infusion of nice colors.

#6. Bengals-Chiefs: CIN in white/black, KC in red/white. This is one of the better ones. As bad as the Chiefs all white look is, that's how sweet their red & white is. Coupled with the Bengals in the orange lids, white shirts and black slacks, this one's above the ho-hum line.

#5. Bears-49ers: CHI in white/navy, SF in red/gold. More of the old guard showing off some good colors. And there's a plentiful amount of them. Navy, scarlet, gold, orange. They blend well, too. Certainly an upper tier matchup.

#4. Eagles-Redskins: PHI in white/green, WSH in burgundy/white. For just the second time, the Skins put away their yellow pants and revive their white pants. Normally I'd decry this switch, but coupled with the Eagles purty white and green scene, this is a plus. So, I happen to like this rather traditional matchup.

#3. Browns-Cowboys: CLE in brown/white, DAL in white/mint. A beauty. Somehow the Cowboys usual 30 shades of blue threads make the Browns' darks pop. Just a nice blend of unique colors.

#2. Ravens-Steelers: BAL in white/black, PIT in throwback black-yellow stripes/khaki. Steelers decide to give the wacky prisoner throwbacks a more national view for Sunday night and against their bitter rivals, the Ravens. As with the Redskins game several weeks ago, the - um - buzz about the bumblebees overwhelm whatever the Ravens wore, which actually, was the right combo. If nothing else, the Steelers jerseys bring about lots of attention to our passion, uniforms. And that, my GUD friends, can't be all bad!

#1. Dolphins-Bills: MIA in aqua/white, BUF in white/blue. Rarities spill over in this game, and it is very much for the best. With the Bills going white at home (WAH), the Dolphins have to break out the aqua tops. Aqua is such a unique color, yet the Fins lately seem to avoid it like the plague. With the Bills rocking the blue pants, the eye appeal is wonderful. For some reason, the Fins aqua jerseys came across on my HDTV like sea green. Yet, photos from the game indicate the Dolphins wore a normal aqua color. Whatever, a great uni matchup.

The "Super Sundays" That Could Have Been...6-10

Did we get to see the best looking uniform combinations possible for the year's final games?

You make the decision as we continue to travel through history.

1971 (VI) - Dallas (NFC) vs. Miami (AFC)

ACTUAL: Given that Miami predominantly wore white at home, there is a distinct possibility that, when given the choice, they may have selected their mono-white duds. ALL HAIL THE SILLY DARK JERSEY RULE (with tongue planted firmly in cheek)!  Unlike the previous year when the rule messed up the uniform pairings, the rule worked like a charm here.

ALTERNATE: Whether Dallas had been the home team (and subject again to the SILLY DARK JERSEY RULE) or had Miami been allowed to go mono-white, this is what we would have been treated to. Is it possible to count this year as two victories for ACTUAL instead of just one???

EDGE: ACTUAL

Which Super Bowl VI combo do you prefer?
	Actual (DAL white, MIA aqua)
	Alternate (MIA white, DAL blue)
pollcode.com free polls

1972 (VII) - Miami (AFC) vs. Washington (NFC)

ACTUAL: Is it wrong to not be bothered by Miami's mono-whites here simply because they were the visiting team and had to wear them instead of choosing to?

ALTERNATE: Is it just me or is the idea of aqua and yellow together like this as offensive to the senses as actually having to look at it?

EDGE: ACTUAL

Which Super Bowl VII combo do you prefer?
	Actual (MIA white, WAS burgundy)
	Alternate (WAS white, MIA aqua)
pollcode.com free polls

1973 (VIII) - Minnesota (NFC) vs. Miami (AFC)

ACTUAL: I really would pick this one. Really. If not for one thing...those orange socks. Bad. Especially bad when worn in conjunction with the aqua jersey.

ALTERNATE: Still bad. Just not as bad. Either way, we get a team in mono-white so its a wash in that regard.

EDGE: ALTERNATE

Which Super Bowl VIII combo do you prefer?
	Actual (MIN white, MIA aqua)
	Alternate (MIA white, MIN purple)
pollcode.com free polls

1974 (IX) - Pittsburgh (AFC) vs. Minnesota (NFC)

ACTUAL: Was Pittsburgh the first team to truly wear predominantly white shoes in this game (Not counting L.C. Greenwood, of course)? 

ALTERNATE: This pairing lacks the split-up of color that the ACTUAL possesses.

EDGE: ACTUAL

Which Super Bowl IX combo do you prefer?
	Actual (PIT white, MIN purple)
	Alternate (MIN white, PIT black)
pollcode.com free polls

1975 (X) - Dallas (NFC) vs. Pittsburgh (AFC)

ACTUAL: This pairing set the tone for a rare inter-conference rivalry seen again three years later.

ALTERNATE: Never gonna happen. Never. Might have been nice to see in a Preseason game, maybe. But definitely not on this stage.

EDGE: ACTUAL

Which Super Bowl X combo do you prefer?
	Actual (DAL white, PIT black)
	Alternate (PIT white, DAL blue)
pollcode.com free polls

With a 4-1 near sweep, ACTUAL comes very close to taking all five of these years and goes up by a count of ACTUAL - 6, ALTERNATE - 4.

Don't forget to vote for your selections and come back next week for 11-15.

Bill Schaefer

Week 10 Weekly Uniform Rankings

One word for this week's pairings: Bor-ing.

We had a total of 12 teams in the monochrome look. Four in an all-dark look and an amazing eight teams wearing all whites. It made for a rather disappointing week of uniform pairings. Anyway, let's get on with the review.

#14. Colts-Jaguars: IND in all white, JAX in all black. If you are old like me, you might recall a big hit that the band Three Dog Night had in 1972 with "Black & White." Very similar scenario here. Indy in white helmets, white jerseys, white pants. At least they wore blue socks. For the Jags, it was black from head to toe. A yawner.

#13. Falcons-Saints: ATL in all white, NO in all black. The Falcons in the all white, which I do not find anywhere near as appealing as the sweet red jerseys, and the Saints, in a look I normally prefer, the all blacks, but not this week. The gold pants would have helped a lot in what turned out to be a rather dismal week, uni-wise.

#12. Chiefs-Steelers: KC in all white, PIT in black/yellow. Hoping against hope that the Chiefs would buck the all white trend for the week and stay with the brilliant white/red combo. But alas, the white conspiracy continued with the Chiefs - wearing my least favorite all white combo of all - against the Steeler standard of black/yellow. Ugh. Chiefs, if you're going to go all white, at least wear your handsome red socks! This is just too much vanilla for my taste. Steelers, what can I say?

#11. Bills-Patriots: BUF in all white, NE in navy/silver. Not sure if I would have preferred the Bills in blue pants or not. With all of the other all white combos, I do think the blue pants would have been, all right! Pats in the normal navy/silver combo. That saved the day.

#10. Titans-Dolphins: TEN in lightblue/dark blue, MIA in all white. Loads of shades of blue present here, with the columbia and navy blues of the Titans and the aqua tones of the Dolphins. A healthy present of white as well with the helmets and all of that Dolphin white. I'll take it, but not by much.

#9. Jets-Seahawks: NYJ in all white, SEA in all navy. Yeah, the honeymoon with the Seahawks new threads comes to an end. The all white and all dark, one of four games in a similar matchup, just takes its toll on me this week. Would have been great if the Jets had rocked their green pants and/or the Seahawks had trotted the new gray pants. Oh well.

#8. Rams-49ers: STL in all white, SF in red/gold. Yet another all white look, but saved by the Niners in their bright scarlet red and gold. Here's one game where the blue pants would have jumped the ranking a notch or more, but the blue and gold act as a good compliment to those brilliant reds. No matching ties with this encounter.

#7. Raiders-Ravens: OAK in white/silver, BAL in purple/white. A lot of color, even if much of it is muted (silver, black, purple, white and a touch of gold), it is - for this week - better than average. There are days when I like the Ravens in purple/black and there are days when I like the Ravens in purple/white. Today, I like the purple/white. It goes better this week and I think it works better with the Raiders standard white/silver fare.

#6. Texans-Bears: HOU in white/navy, CHI in navy/white. A lot of navy and a lot of white, and just not quite enough orange and red. Since these two teams on their own have greater than average looks, I do give it a (slightly) greater than average ranking.

#5. Chargers-Buccaneers:. SD in white/navy, TB in red/pewter. The Bucs get away from the early season WAH's and settle into the cozy red and pewter homes. Chargers add the compliment with the white jersey-navy pants combo. A pleasant sight to the eyes.

#4. Cowboys-Eagles: DAL in white/mint, PHI in green/white. Familiar teams, familiar unis. And compared with the rest of the NFL matchups this week, familiar is good. Very good. Contrasting jersey/pants combo makes for a soothing Sunday night.

#3. Lions-Vikings: DET in white/silver, MIN in purple/white. Normally a rather routine matchup. But in a week of white-white and dark-dark, this is an above the fray type of matchup. Good colors, good trim. honolulu blue, silver, purple, hints of black and yellow. Score one for the old guard.

#2. Broncos-Panthers: DEN in all white, CAR in all black. Oh Lord, another all white against all bla....wait a minute! What??? The Panthers rocking ALL BLACK? What?? They also are wearing the carolina blue socks??? Never before! Yay-yuh!! I grant this game a massive pardon and bestow blessings on this matchup. I think this one caught everyone off guard, because the Panthers rarely go outside of the box. But in a week of monotone, this one sticks out like a sore, nay two sore thumbs. And both thumbs point skyward in approval.

#1. Giants-Bengals: NYG in white/gray, CIN in black/white. This is a bounty of color. blue helmet, orange helmet, white jersey, black jersey, gray pants, white pants, red socks, black socks. A delicious palette of colors. Ace matchup.

OK fans, Hopefully my uniform grouchiness will fade with the Week 11 matchups! Guys, all I'm asking for is a little bit more color!

See you then!

The "Super Sundays" That Could Have Been...1-5

When I was younger, many moons before I became involved in the creation of the GUD, I used to enjoy the build up before Super Sunday. (Now I know better!)

Being young, and not knowing there was a pattern that existed in its determination, I used to wait with increased fervor to catch that first glimpse of a jersey. I wanted to find out if the picture I'd created in my mind's eye of what this year's big game was going to look like was right or wrong. 

Was what I'd hoped for going to be correct or was I going to be disappointed in what I was going to watch?

When Tim, Rob, and I were first organizing this site and we'd determined that we'd include a semi-periodic blog, I set out to brain-storm a few topics that I would enjoy reading/seeing.

To be honest, after doing some uniform tweak concepts and the "If Now Was Then" concepts, this current series was one the first ideas I actually had...namely, "Did We Get the Best Looking Game" from a uniform point of view?

Over the remainder of the season, I will be illustrating five games each week - what they looked like AND what they could have looked like.  I will include my stance and preference as well as give you, the viewer, the opportunity to cast your vote for each year's game for the ACTUAL combo or the ALTERNATE combo.

While the ACTUAL combos will accurately depict any patches worn during the game, the ALTERNATES I've put together will not be sporting those patches.

We'll show you each Super Bowl ACTUAL and ALTERNATE combos and then give you a chance to vote for which one you like better, and we can determine once and for all if they "got the right matchup."  Let's start at the beginning...

1966 (I) - Kansas City (AFL) vs. Green Bay (NFL)

ACTUAL - This was the game we saw in 1966. As the established league, the NFL was awarded 'home team' status and wore their typical green over yellow combination. Kansas City would not break up their mono-white road apparel for another two seasons.

ALTERNATE - However, what if the NFL had allowed the AFL to be the home team? True, there would have been a lack of the green but having the white jersey for Green Bay and the white pants of the Chiefs balances the whites out a little better.

EDGE: ALTERNATE

Which Super Bowl I combo do you prefer?
	Actual (KC white/white, GB green/yellow)
	Alternate (GB white/yellow, KC red/white)
pollcode.com free polls

1967 (II) - GreenBay (NFL) vs. Oakland (AFL)

ACTUAL: A Silver and Black debut. Although they probably wish to forget their performance, I just can't picture the Raiders debuting in the title game without their black jersey combo.

ALTERNATE: By itself, this combination would not be bad. However, compared to the opposite combination that we did get for this game, it finishes in second place.

EDGE: ACTUAL

Which Super Bowl II combo do you prefer?
	Actual (GB white/yellow, OAK silver/black)
	Alternate (OAK white/silver, GB green/yellow)
pollcode.com free polls

1968 (III) - N.Y. Jets (AFL) vs. Baltimore (NFL)

ACTUAL: Not much to go on between the two choices here as both teams feature mono-white road combos. This combo takes a marginal lead due to the Jets' road jerseys having more green on the sleeves than the Colts' have blue on their road jerseys.

ALTERNATE: The Colts' road combo just doesn't have as much color to play off of the Jets' green. There's just too much white here.

EDGE: ACTUAL 

Which Super Bowl III combo do you prefer?
	Actual (NYJ white, BAL blue)
	Alternate (BAL white, NYJ green)
pollcode.com free polls

1969 (IV) - Minnesota (NFL) vs. Kansas City (AFL)

ACTUAL: Like the alternate for the game two years earlier, by itself, this pairing is not bad.

ALTERNATE: However, compared to the alternate pairing here, the addition of the red pants would clearly have put this combo over the top.

EDGE: ALTERNATE

Which Super Bowl IV combo do you prefer?
	Actual (MIN white/white, KC red/white)
	Alternate (KC white/red, MIN purple/white)
pollcode.com free polls

1970 (V) - Baltimore (AFC) vs. Dallas (NFC)

ACTUAL: The fact that the NFL had a rule that said a team's color jersey was there de facto home jersey seems a bit silly. The silly like Earl Bennett getting fined for "wearing 1-color cleats when the color in question is, in fact, a team color" kind of silly. In hindsight, I'm kinda glad we got to see this pairing. We'd never get to see this combo pairing today as the Colts wear blue at home and the Cowboys still prefer their whites.

ALTERNATE: Had the Colts been the home team, this would have been the pairing we'd have seen. Pretty good look, if I do say so myself. Especially considering that the Cowboys' blues and silvers actually matched - once upon a time!

EDGE: ALTERNATE

Which Super Bowl V combo do you prefer?
	Actual (BAL white, DAL blue)
	Alternate (DAL white, BAL blue)
pollcode.com free polls

So, after the first five games, I put the score at ALTERNATE - 3, ACTUAL - 2.

See you next week for games 6-10.

Bill Schaefer

Week 9 Weekly Uniform Rankings

#14. Dolphins-Colts: MIA in all white, IND in blue/white. Dolphins, c'mon, man! The all white could have made the grade for this matchup. As it is, the Colts blue and white have to carry this matchup, and it is a burden. Actually, the colors - other than white - aren't all that bad. Aqua, orange, blue are a decent blend of hues. It's just a dominance of white that derails things here.

#13. Lions-Jaguars: DET in white/silver, JAX in all black. Lions are fine in this get together, but the Jags full on black look is just bleah. White pants would help some, but this is just not the Jaguars.

#12. Buccaneers-Raiders: TB in white/pewter, OAK in black/silver. No surprises here. Metals at work with silver and pewter on the helmets and pants. While these are nice colors (add some Buccaneer red), I'm just not feeling it for this matchup. Myabe a little rich on the black, but the colors are not calling my name.

#11. Eagles-Saints: PHI in all white, NO in all black. The Eagles toss a curve into this matchup with white pants, the Saints with all black, not too surprising.Philly usually goes all white in the preseason, so this was a surprise, but actually, a little disappointing. We could have had four base colors at work here; white, green, black and gold. Alas, we get all white and all black. Not very colorful, eh?

#10. Cardinals-Packers: ARZ in all white and GB in green/yellow. The Cardinals have yet to rock the red britches, and that's a hurt for this encounter. Packers always sharp in the green and yellow, more red from the Cardinals would have skewed the ranking upward.

#9. Broncos-Bengals: DEN in all white, CIN in black/white. Broncos in the roadies with largely blue trim and the Bengals in the conservative (for them) black jersey with white pants. I think one little change could have sparked a few brownie points, and would have been orange socks. That would put a little sparkle in a surprisingly blah matchup.

#8. Bears-Titans: CHI in white/navy, TEN in light blue/dark blue. This one blues, ha ha. Anyway, the Titans seem to have too much blue on lately. Since I like the Bears navy pants too much, I think the Titans could have worn white pants (if they still have them) to offset all of the navy running around here.

#7. Chiefs-Chargers: KC in white/red, SD in navy/white. This is a traditional AFC West matchup with no surprises. And it is a very nice one. red, navy, white with hints of yellow and powder blue. I like it.

#6. Ravens-Browns: BAL in white/black and CLE in brown/white. This is actually a sweet look. Ravens do the right thing by wearing black pants. Add some pop to this matchup. Browns in brown at home and this as it should be. Good one.

#5. Vikings-Seahawks: MIN in all white, SEA in all navy. The Seahawks go all navy again and the Vikes with the standard all white with the purple accoutrements. It's actually a good color get-up. With a hint of yellow, "action" green and that touch of gray. One of the better ones for this week.

#4. Steelers-Giants: PIT in white/yellow, NYG in blue/gray. Traditional looks from traditional teams. A very good palette of color, blue, gray, a little red, black, yellow. Covered very well. A better than average matchup. Thumbs up!

#3. Bills-Texans: BUF in white/blue, HOU in navy/white. Whenever the Bills rock the blue pants, the matchup is elevated in the food chain. Texans always look sharp in their home outfit, so this one belongs in the top shelf of the rankings.

#2. Panthers-Redskins: CAR in all white, WSH in throwback burgundy/khaki. Something about the Panthers brings out the throwback in their opponents. The Redskins are the third team (Falcons, Bears) to go retro against the Panthers this season. The Skins break out their circa 1937-38 oldies for this one. The Skins actually wore gold helmets and gold pants in those years, but their treatment of the faux natural leather helmet is absolutely spot on and the Skins get more that a free pass for that, they get high marks. It works coolly against the black and carolina blue of the Panthers.

#1. Cowboys-Falcons: DAL in white/mint, ATL in red/white. This one surprises me. I like it a lot. I don't know why, because normally by themselves, these two looks aren't impressive. But together, I guess the mixture of  blue, mint, red, black works as a really sweet matchup.

If Now Was Then...(Part 8)

Here we are.

It's been 8 weeks since we began this journey and now we've made it to the last division in our odyssey.  

I now present to you...

The AFC South

HOUSTON – I went with opposite versions of the navy and red jerseys. The white helmet with opposing blue and red stripes works equally well with either combination.

INDIANAPOLIS – Why couldn’t Nike have fixed the Colts?  I mean how hard can it be to construct the over-the-shoulder loop stripes? Well, we’ve got them here.  I almost went with a straight white helmet but sanity took over and I added some blue to it.  Going back to a blog I wrote a year ago about my personal feelings towards mono-white uniforms, I said there is no way to mess up a 2 color uniform when one of the two colors is white. I stand by my comment here.

JACKSONVILLE – Again, black? In Florida? It needed to go so I ditched it. This left me with teal (Ick.) and gold from their current logo. I actually think if these were their jerseys, the Jags would eventually switch to the gold as their primary. The teal tends to look like the poor man's Dolphins.

TENNESSEE –  Ah. The team that started it all. When I first did a Titans jersey here, it ended up looking like the New York Bulldogs. Nobody wants that. Instead, I opted for the 2-tone blue design with navy as the primary. Those were the original Titans jerseys and I still prefer them to the current primary with the reverse pattern. I kept the reverse pattern, however, as the secondary jersey. I adjusted the futuristic number font to something similar but a better fit for the times.

And so, my friends, we come to the end. Without a doubt, if you’d have turned on your HD plasma screen TV back in the 1940s, you’d have seen these combinations every Sunday from September through January.

I'll be debuting a new series of "what if's" next week so tune in!

Bill Schaefer