Earlier this year, the Cleveland Browns unveiled their new logo and helmet — Which looked a lot like the old logo and helmet. However, while the logo/helmet unveiling may have been a bit anticlimactic, Browns safety Donte Whitner promised that the uniform unveiling would be a lot more exciting. Now that we’ve finally got a look at the finished product, and while they aren’t all the way Oregon-esque, they’re definitely interesting.
As we all knew beforehand, the Browns were going to have 9 uniform combos to choose from, so that wasn’t the surprising thing. The most interesting thing here has to do with the wordmarks. As you can see, the city’s name is in big, bold letters on each jersey. Apparently, it’s the largest of its kind in the NFL, and it was definitely done with a purpose in mind. From the team’s press release:
The idea to stitch a big, bold “CLEVELAND” on the front of the jersey came along early in the process, Conahan said. The group toyed around with enlarging “Browns” or even placing “DAWG POUND” across the chest.
Ultimately, stretching the city’s name in such a fashion that hasn’t been done by any other NFL team “felt right,” Browns president Alec Scheiner said.
“We talked a lot about how important Cleveland is for the Browns,” Scheiner said. “When the team left, the city’s heart was broken. It wasn’t fair. The team never should have left here. I think it’s a tribute to the city that we put it across the chest instead of the team name.”
The wordmark fun didn’t stop with the jerseys, either. The pants have normal striping that’s consistent with the striping on the jerseys; That is, until you get about halfway down the hip, which is when the team’s nickname runs vertically down the rest of the leg. Again, this was done on purpose by the Browns and Nike, and no other team in the NFL currently has this design feature in their uniforms.
Not only did the team go back to drop-shadow numbers on their primary uniforms for the first time since their days in the All-American Football Conference back in the 1940s, the fabric used for the numbers is Nike Chainmaille mesh. Also, the team decided to go with contrast stitching. Again, the Browns are now the only team with these elements in their design.
As a final touch to the uniforms, the words “DAWG POUND” are located in the collar of every jersey. I’ll give you a guess as to why that particular phrase is now part of the Browns’ uniform.
Overall, it’s clear to see what the Browns were trying to achieve with these uniforms. They wanted to pay homage to the team’s rich history (Yes, the Browns have a rich history), which is evidenced by the fact that they brought back the drop-shadow numbers from the old days and also chose to keep the helmet logoless. They also tried to move forward with a progressive look as well, which is evidenced by the fact that the striping is now consistent on all elements on the uniform (well, sort of. Just take another look at the pants), and the contrasting colors on the stitching is definitely a modern touch.
What do you guys think of the grand unveiling? Did the Browns nail it with their new look, or should they have stayed in the lab a little bit longer with these? Are they the new Oregon of the NFL? Either way, let us know what you think!
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