NFL teams' threads receive an overhaul
<p>ROD MAR/Associated Press The Seattle Seahawks' new uniform design with home colors is shown, modeled by Seahawks linebacker Jameson Konz.</p>
<p>ROD MAR/Associated Press A look at the Seahawks' new away jersey.</p>
<p>ROD MAR/Associated Press In this undated photo provided by the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL team's new uniform design with home colors is shown, modeled by Seahawks linebacker Jameson Konz. The NFL unveiled new uniforms designed by Nike for all 32 teams Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at a New York fashion show. (AP Photo/Seattle Seahawks, Rod Mar)</p>
<p>ROD MAR/Associated Press The Seattle Seahawks' new helmet design is shown.</p>
The NFL's switch to Nike uniforms meant only subtle changes for most teams. Not so the Seattle Seahawks, who decided an overhaul was in order.
The new Seahawks uniforms unveiled Tuesday featured a change to a deeper shade of dark blue, neon green highlights throughout and a third alternate uniform in a shade of gray. The alternate uniform can be worn for either home or road games and is far different from the lime green alternate uniforms the Seahawks wore during the 2009 season.
Seattle was the one team to get a significant uniform change. Gone was the shade of blue that debuted when the Seahawks moved into their new stadium in 2002. The uniforms also incorporate graphics of Pacific Northwest coastal Indian artwork along the side of the uniform tops and pants and around the neckline. Each area has 12 of the images, a nod to Seahawks fans referred to as the "12th Man."
The Seahawks logo is larger on the helmets and wraps around to meet at a point in the back. The lower stripe of the logo was changed from gray to blue.
Safety Kam Chancellor was the Seahawks' representative at the jersey unveiling event in New York, where Seattle's new threads were a hit among players from other teams.
"Seattle has the hottest uniform right now," Saints running back Pierre Thomas said. "So I'm a little jealous. But I still love my all black. I think it looks nice."
Nike put on a gridiron-themed fashion show at a Brooklyn film studio, with a player from each of the 32 franchises modeling his team's new threads.
No, Big Ben, Ndamukong Suh and Brian Urlacher didn't walk the runway.
Instead, after a handful of Nike big wigs worked their way through half-hour presentation that could have been dubbed "The Making of the Uniforms," the players walked out onto an artificial turf-covered mini-field, suited up from shoes to shoulder pads and lined up in four rows. After the house lights went up, their helmets went on.
There were no surprises.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said the goal of the redesign was to combine "tradition with innovation."
"Some teams will lean more toward the traditions," Goodell said. "But you can see here you can put innovation into the uniform without changing the look, necessarily, about it."
In college football, flashy uniforms, with non-traditional colors and patterns are all the rage these days. Oregon, the alma mater of Nike founder Phil Knight, has made the cutting-edge - some would say over-the-edge - look its calling card. Nike outfits dozens of major college football teams and while few have gone all-in the way Oregon does, many are at least dabbling in funky gear.
But only the Seattle Seahawks, who took the unveiling of the uniform as an opportunity to start a rebranding campaign for the franchise, made significant alterations to their uniforms, adding some neon green trim down the sides of the pants and numbers.