RANKING THE NEW NFL HELMETS
The NFL has mercifully lifted the senseless ban on alternate helmets heading into the 2022 season and for uniform junkies everywhere, this is like pornography. So far there have been 14 teams announce alternate and/or throwback helmets for next season, and today I intend on ranking them. I'm still holding out hope for a Creamsicle Bucs and Titans/Oilers throwback announcement, but this'll do for now.
As new uniforms/helmets trickle out, I will post updates. But for now, here's what has been released.
Throwback Category, from worst to first:
4. Cowboys - The Cowboys throwback helmet is boring. But so is their primary (and only) logo. It's the same as their current silver helmet, just white and without the star outlined. The full Cowboys throwback uniform is fine, especially on Thanksgiving, but the helmet lacks pop and leaves some to be desired.
3. Giants - I love the Giants' retro logo and uniform combo, and the only reason they aren't higher is simply because the competition is so strong. Watching Saquon Barkley limp off the field in these after a 2 yard carry is going to be divine. I prefer these to the current NY Giants kit and their inclusion of Lawrence Taylor in the announcement for these was perfection.
2. Patriots - "Patriot Pat" makes a triumphant reappearance this year and a fan-favorite returns. I'm a big fan of this uniform set, even if they wore it roughly 10 years ago. The red jerseys paired with the white helmet/red stripes is a timeless, top tier visual.
1. Falcons - I don't need to say anything or explain myself, this picture is all you need. God-tier throwback helmet being worn by a God-tier NFL player. If nothing else this is perfect to pay homage to arguably the greatest athlete to ever play the game and I'm excited to see how they pair this with their uniforms.
Alternate Helmet Category, from worst to first:
10. Eagles - The Eagles repurposed their current helmet and made the already dark green on it much, much darker to where it is now black. It's like they just took their regular helmet but did it in black and white. The primary trend we're seeing here is black helmets, but this is a fail. It looks too close to their regular dark green helmet for me, plain and simple. They did this when they could've incorporated the lighter green color, which is a heinous crime to have at one's disposal and not use. They have a chance to redeem themselves to some degree if they announce throwbacks, but that hasn't come yet. For this they are dead last and their alternate helmets should be scrapped.
9. Saints - Respectfully, what the hell are they going for here? Black and gold is one of my all-time favorite color combos and the Saints found a way to make it bad. I honestly don't hate what they're doing here minus the smattering of fleur-de-lis as the center stripe, this just looks too busy and ruins the helmet. Just... remove those and everything else is okay. The Saints boast an elite black home set and this could've been interesting, but they went another direction with it.
8. Bears - I'm all for a color rush combo, but they made the unfortunate decision to unintentionally (I hope) mimic Illinois football's uniforms but with the Bears "C logo" instead of the Illinois "I". These might pop on-field, but the direct comparison between the Fighting Illini uniforms and the Bears alternates is unfortunate to say the least.
7. Cowboys - So the Cowboys uniform guys got together and decided that for an alternate helmet they were just going to take their throwback helmet and give the star an outline. I suppose the Cowboys have only ever donned the Star and choices are limited, but this one feels extra bland to me.
6. Jets - This is basically just another blackout option for the Jets with the slick matte black shell, but it's the green chrome facemask that's a difference maker for me. As far as all black uniforms go, the Jets have a strong look and this will go nicely with their black alternates. The "Stealth Black" branding just brings to mind a stealth bomber, undoubtedly one of the coolest jets in the history of aviation.
5. Panthers - We're getting into new and exciting territory for the alternate helmets, and the Panthers did good here. Swapping the silver sparkle for a matte black look is especially clean here as the Panther logo is more of a Carolina blue silhouette. With the Panthers donning black jerseys on the regular, this will be a fun addition here as well as with any of their other two primary jerseys. I can always go for a blackout look, and the Panthers might've unlocked something here.
4. Commanders - The entire Commanders burgundy and gold is a strong color combo and incorporating black with that is always a smart idea (see: Florida State football). The helmets are a bit unorthodox with the "W" on the front, but I love the gloss black and numbers on the side. It's a shame that Carson Wentz will be wearing these, but I'm intrigued by the new uniforms that the Commanders will be wearing this year. I like these probably the most of all their new helmets and I hope they wear these consistently.
3. Cardinals - We are now entering elite territory. This gloss black helmet is a perfect complement to the red and black already contained in the colors for Arizona. The Cardinals black alternate jersey is as sharp as they come, and adding a black helmet just made sense. The kicker here is this helmet would look amazing with other color combos, not limited to their black tops. Throwing it out there with the red jersey would be a diabolical color match that I hope the Cardinals attempt. I'd love to see the Cardinals make this a regular and oft-used part of their uniform combination as opposed to treating it like a true "alternate" and only wearing it on special occasions.
2. Texans - This is another example of maximizing your color palette. The official name for the Texans red is "Battle Red", and that is decidedly badass. Swapping the navy blue for Battle Red is a no brainer and this is another lid that goes with any uniform combo they could assemble. The cherry on top for me is keeping the navy facemask for a little contrast. Again, whatever uniform the Texans land on, this red helmet will look immaculate.
1. Bengals - An absolute masterpiece of a helmet here. I realize they just took their primary helmet and made it white instead of orange, but keeping the nose bumper sporting the orange "B" logo completes it. Even if they only wear it with the all white uniform, that's still worth it because of how sexy it will look together. I mean, really, the orange lid is fine here but imagine this with the white helmet and how much cleaner it would be:
Kudos to the Bengals on this one. Most would agree that this is the single best alternate helmet and one that should make it into the regular rotation. Here's the inspiration for these helmets in case you didn't know:
Comments
Post a Comment