Cameras, cameras everywhere 🎥 pic.twitter.com/YucnyWSYL2
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) June 12, 2023
[This post is part of Uni Watch Positivity Week. You can learn more about that here, and you can see all the UWPW posts here. — PL]
The video shown above is one of several clips that the Panthers have posted today on their Twitter feed, all showing the team’s blue alternate jersey rendered in Nike’s new template.
The jersey is rendered in “process blue,” which was the team’s original shade of blue. Nike wasn’t able to reproduce it properly over the past decade, but now the team is back to its original hue. Also, the Panthers had previously indicated that the new tailoring would necessitate some adjustments to their shoulder striping, and now we can see how that looks:
Not bad! The tapered stripes should go well with the tapered striping on the team’s pants and helmets.
In the 2022 photo, you can see a problem that’s plagued the Panthers in recent years: The TV numbers are way too small. Have they addressed that? It’s hard to say for sure from these little promo video clips they’ve been releasing today, but here’s the best view I was able to find:
Judging from that shot, I’d say the size of the TV numbers hasn’t changed much, if at all.
With today’s football jersey sleeve tailoring, you can’t have shoulder stripes, TV numbers, and logo. Can’t have all 3. Not enough space anymore. I like TV numbers but Panthers should get rid of their TV numbers in this case.
Agree wholeheartedly. Just drop those tiny TV numbers. They are pointless when they are that small. Overall, they improved their jerseys if only a bit. I like the somewhat wider silver portion of the shoulder stripes. The logo/Nike swoosh/shoulder stripes area is still too crowded but other than moving either logo up to replace the TV numbers I’m not sure what they can do. (Yes, ditching the swoosh would work but we know that isn’t going to happen).
Agree. If I had to choose, the UCLA stripes stay. With hi-def TV being ubiquitous, numbers on the shoulders seem less necessary.
Very true…I think the Falcons started the trend of having all 3 of those elements on jerseys, but they had a lot more real estate to work with.
In the Panthers case, I’d rather they drop the logos and move the TV numbers down, even if they are obsolete in this day/age.
I’d be fine with that.
I’d go the opposite way. Ditch the logo on the sleeve and put the tv numbers there.
Logos on the jersey sleeve appear redundant when the same logo appears on the helmet.
Eagles, Bucs, Ravens, and Rams in their St Louis days were the only ones that pulled of the sleeve logo well by having a different logo than their helmet. Seahawks royal blue jerseys being the one exception to the rule since the logo was incorporated as part of their sleeve stripe design.
TV numbers are difficult to read if on the shoulders. They should be dropped.
TV numbers are difficult to read if on the shoulders. They should be dropped.
Typo alert: “Not bad! The tapered stripes should go well WITH the tapered striping on the team’s pants and helmets.”
Thank you! Fixed.
They really should make their black helmet the primary helmet. It looks much better than the silver one.
I’d be OK with that too.
Much prefer they re-design the double ‘scratch-mark’ helmet stripes…a single front-to-back black/blue/black pattern, tapered to match the general shape of the pants and shoulder stripes perhaps?
Exactly.
I’m in total disagreement with this comment string. The silver helmet is way better. I don’t like the black one at all. It makes the Panther logo almost invisible. And I like their current helmet stripes. It’s original and, at least for me, harkens back to their 90s era inception. I don’t like when “old” teams use weird tapered/curved striping to somehow be new/old at the same time (I’m talking to you Buffalo Bills!!!) but it works for the Panthers.
I actually prefer the new shoulder stripe design. Nice move with that one.
As far as the TV, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were simply removed altogether. Sadly they are being slowly phased out.
Get rid of those teeny tiny TV numbers on the sleeves. They look like midgets.
Any clue what this means for a hypothetical uniform refresh? Would they still be eligible do so, or will they need to wait 5 more years? Wasn’t sure if these are considered to be “new jerseys” or if it’s just a change to reflect the new Nike template.
FWIW – I actually think this looks pretty good and is an improvement of the outgoing template. Although the barely legible TV numbers have got to go.
While I don’t know for sure, I don’t *think* this would count as a big enough change to reset the five-year clock. (That said, I’m not aware of the Panthers planning or wanting to make any significant changes anyway.)
I’d like to see them designate the blue as the primary and have the black with the black helmet as the alternate, then go with Silver Black Silver one game a year almost as throwback since they rarely wear that combo anymore.
Other than the helmet stripe being dated and the tiny TV numbers, I think the Panthers have a pretty iconic uni-design. Don’t mess with it a whole lot.
How big I TV do I need to get to see those numbers?
What the heck, Paul??!? This is Positivity Week and you’re using the phrase “too small”? It’s both negative and opinionated; a double-whammy.
I suggest “small compared to other shoulder-mounted TV numbers” or something more neutral.
Compared to the sudden dead end of the Colts and Pats’ shoulder stripes, the Panthers nailed it with the pointy stripes. And they go with the pants and helmets too. Sublte but definitely an upgrade.
Agreed. The Pats and Colts stripes look like someone ran a piece of tape that starts in the back, goes over the shoulder, and down the front, ending in a blunt cut.
The Browns, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cowboys, Ravens and Falcons used the new template in their media day shoots as well (see their Twitters for pics). Interestingly enough, the Lions did not use the new template, and everyone but Goff had the new patch on the jersey (on Lions’ website).
Sorry … just awakened. And after looking at this, back to sleep might be a better option.
(Don’t kill me, Paul … I know you want to be positive. But I’m not sure I can be.)
First, didn’t solve the comically small TV numbers issue. Could opt for a smaller collar band that would help alleviate this to some extent, however subtle.
Second, I’d be in complete agreement with Ron IF the pants striping tapered down similar to the jersey … not that I really, really love it, but at least there would be some thought and consistency to the uni as a whole (plus, it would work with the helmet “stripes”). But, a look at the other videos indicate that this was not addressed at all. Problem with the pants “stripes” and the shoulder “stripes” is they weren’t consistent stripes, yet they weren’t tapering much, if at all. It’s somewhere in between, which is the worst. Hope that made some sense.
Third, based on the other videos on the Panthers’ Twitter feed, the only properly tapered stripe was on DJ Clark’s No. 17 jersey in the video above. The offensive linemen in the other videos still had that “not quite tapered down, but not a stripe, either” look.
So, in summary – save for Chark’s clip – all they did was change back to Process Blue. And that blue jersey/black pants is their worst look (except for full Smurf, which they haven’t done in years and hopefully never again). Blue jerseys and black pants might not be so bad if they were allowed to wear black helmets with it … with the silver helmet, the whole thing is an utter mess. And if the black helmet ever became the primary lid, use a standard logo instead of solely blue within the primary logo … much, much better when set off with white facial features as opposed to blue (got a few shirts with it, including one with the team’s sole retired number and corresponding name on the back. The difference is noticeable).
We’ll see if Henry Anderson and Frankie Luvu continue to, um, customize their jersey stripe treatment.
(Sorry, Paul. I tried. Don’t slaughter me next week after the positive week is up.)
The new striping is nice, the TV numbers are not. In this day and age with better cameras and screens we do not really need them in the NFL. If so, put them on sleeves. In this case the Panthers logo could move to the front of the jersey.