#CTESPN pic.twitter.com/oftldzetpH
— CTESPNNetwork (@CtespnN) April 20, 2024
Paul here, making a rare weekend appearance, because we have yet another purported NFL leak to address, this time for the Broncos’ new helmet.
I do not know if this leak is legit. There are several arguments both for and against its legitimacy, so let’s shift into Q&A mode.
What is the source of this leak?
As you can see above, it’s the CTESPN Twitter account, which is former NFL player Antonio Brown’s social media network.
Hahahahaha! Antonio Brown?! What a joke — this is obviously fake.
Not so fast. As Andrew Lind noted yesterday on SportsLogos.net, Brown broke some significant NFL news last month. Moreover, the @CTESPN account was also the source of yesterday’s purported leaks of the Broncos jerseys and Texans jerseys, and several of my sources and Lind’s sources have both confirmed those as being legit. So Brown’s recent track record is actually pretty good.
What about the design? What’s with all those triangles on the helmet?
Yesterday’s Broncos jersey leak showed three triangles on each side of the jersey numbers, and the numbers themselves were perforated with little triangles:
On topographical maps, a triangle indicates a mountain peak. So that’s apparently going to be a big “storytelling” element on this uniform set.
Okay, you’ve convinced me. This leak is legit!
Maybe. But the decals on the helmet make me suspicious. If you look at a real Broncos helmet from last year, you can see that the center stripe was on a clear decal and the navy elements in the primary logo perfectly matched the navy shell:
That’s how Broncos helmets have looked for many years. Now compare that to this new purported leak — the decals don’t match the shell:
So what do you think?
I think it’s plausible that this could be the design. But the decals don’t feel right to me. Fortunately, the Broncos are slated to unveil on Monday, so we won’t have to wait much longer to find out the full story.
Assuming this leak is legit, WTF?
Why can’t the Broncos just have NORMAL striping on a helmet? I’m not in love with the tiny triangles creating a stripe (wouldn’t be visible unless you’re three feet or less away), but WHY does it appear on an “arrow” decal and why does it stop at the midpoint of the crown?
Again, this all assumes this is legit.
*puts on storyteller’s hat*
It is an allusion to the orange mane of the white stallion, the team’s logo and focal point of its identity. Standing tall on its hind legs to reach toward the mountain tops, the white bronco also calls back to the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies. But NOT OJ Simpson’s white Bronco.
*removes hat*
The lions got the normal striping this round of redesigns. Maybe next time the broncos will get normal ones and the Lions will look like car exhaust or something.
It’s been said for weeks that the Broncos new helmets are going to be white with the current horse head. This is a fraud.
Teams redesigning this year are permitted not one, but TWO alternate shells, so I believe this is possible (not as the primary — which as you correctly note is supposed to be white); I’ll believe it when I see it. But IF this is indeed legit, my questions/statements still remain.
As others have noted (and has been discussed on the Twitter), it is in all likelihood NOT a leaked helmet — but a “display” model (for lack of a better term) that will be at the draft.
But we’ll know before then if it’s legit.
There are THREE different helmets. This is a replica of ONE of the three. There will be a white one like it, and an alternate “old school” blue one with an updated original “D” logo. I’ve seen them in January.
It’s not a “fake” design. The photo you see is one of the giant helmets being prepared for the Draft next week. All teams will have them. That’s why it is spraypainted with vinyl decals.
I believe the other leaks are legitimate but this looks too amateurish to me. The shade of blue on the decals isn’t a match the the helmet color; the paint job looks bubbly and rough; there’s a weird dent on the helmet too that makes me think it’s not brand new. I’m not buying this one.
What I’ve heard is this isn’t a actual helmet that’s going to be worn. Rather, it’s a very large, oversized helmet to decorate the Detroit area during the draft.
So you’re saying it’s not a real helmet, but it matches the basic design of the real helmet?
And you’ve heard that where?
I can’t find the link for it, but the first I heard about this being a large helmet was from TimContic on Twitter. He’s been following the Broncos uniform story very closely.
Looking closer at it I agree that it doesn’t look like a real helmet, but rather an oversized one. The picture I linked below also convinced me. Who knows, maybe I’m wrong.
To me the bottom left corner that blue and orange stripe looks like baseboard along a wall (with the helmet sitting on a concrete floor). Now that it’s been pointed out to me that it might be a novelty oversized helmet I can’t unsee that
link
Sportslogos.net just confirming that it is an oversized draft helmet.
link
Here’s what I mean. If you look closely at the picture in this post you can see the reflection of the picture taker, and it’s clear this helmet is quite large.
That would explain the inconsistencies. But good gracious I still hope this isn’t true.
Oh, I hope that’s not real; that’s horrendous.
If this is indeed what the final design is (please no) I say Nike’s storytelling will reference the Continental Divide as the separation between the “mountain ranges”.
What’s the point of having them at all!?
Ever hear of addition by subtraction, Broncos? Woof!
If legit, one of the worst ‘stripe’ patters out there – not Carolina Panthers bad, but awful close (and awful just the same).
Where’s the ice blue they talked about using?
Hey, Broncos fans, you liked the pointy orange triangle center stripes we’ve had for so long? Well, saddle up, ‘cuz we have a surprise for you!
Looks like a tweeker made this helmet. Looks like Dollar store spray paint.
I’m of the opinion many NFL helmets, Broncos included, would be improved (or at least not harmed) by having no center stripe. I mean, we don’t see center stripes on baseball caps, batting helmets, or hockey helmets. Why the insistence on so many football helmets having them? As for this one, it’d look much better if it was moved to the front of the helmet.
The three triangles beside the numbers on the front of the jersey may also be for their three Super Bowl titles.
They can’t manage to match the blue backing of the horsey decal to the blue they paint the helmet? That slight difference in blues is visually distracting.
Wouldnt surprise me if real. I expect dogshit at this point
Obviously fake & Antonio Brown is trolling the sheep.
The fact that the Texans and Broncos haven’t said anything about the AB leaks leads me to believe that they’re fake. When the Texans’ road jerseys leaked Cal McNair posted a pic of them on the Texans subreddit to confirm they’re real. If they are real then how did they manage to fly under the Texans and Broncos’ radar. If they aren’t real then at least we know that AB has artistic capabilities
Gross.
Joining the ranks of the Titans, Ravens, Panthers, and themselves… currently. Before this Monday.
Seems like the mock-up theory or demonstration model makes most sense. There’s no way the decals are going to look *that* bad. Just the texture of the helmet looks a little off to me, there’s no other stickers or decals, and the inside of the shell looks a little empty to me. I guess we’ll see.
That center stripe, though, oh man… this could become an instant classic, and not in a good way.
The orange in the logo and in the triangles aren’t even the same color. This might be a 3rd helmet (since we assume their new helmets are white and having an orange throwback) but the colors not matching up seems to be weird.
Love the orange peel paint job.
Can’t unsee…apologies in advance.
1. 6 mountains on front of jersey = reminiscent of a dog’s nipples when lying on their back. (Invective for linemen not to get beat off the snap)
2. Helmet stripe = Tribute to Mohawk or man-bun.
Looking forward to Monday’s reveal!
You win the internets today.
Looks like the Redskins feather helmet of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
Seems plausible this is a mock up of one of the new helmets for use in Detroit.
May not be the real helmet, but I bet it’s close. I can see Denver doing something goofy with the striping. Most teams today can’t help themselves. Have to add silly flourishes in a lame attempt to stand out. So XFL.
The texture looks like spray paint to me. The decals are printed on paper stock and don’t look like 3M vinyl, which is how most helmet decals are made.
The orange triangles remind me of Doritos, aimed at the couch army of Broncos fans.
Cue Xzibit’s ‘Pimp Your Ride’ Voice: “Yo Dawg, I heard you like triangle-shaped center striping on your helmet; so, we put like, a hundred triangle-shapes on the center striping of your (new) helmet.”