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Vacation Watch: Texans Review & Football News

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Good morning, and greetings from Maryland, where it was hot and surprisingly not humid yesterday (until the evening storms rolled in). I’m on vacation, but I’m checking in from poolside to give you my quick assessment of the new Texans unis, along with some other football news.

We arrived at our destination before Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game started. I didn’t get to see any of the action, though, until I read Phil’s review of the new road unis. I have to say, unlike Paul and Phil, I’ve been excited to see this new set on the field. So far I liked what I saw.

One thing I wouldn’t have liked 15 years ago is something I didn’t notice until I saw this photo: the little pointy part on the middle of the 6 in Houston’s new number font.

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Back then, I was not a fan of pointy, spiky fonts. I’ve softened my position on that quite a bit these days. As long as every number is legible and can’t be mistaken for another number at a glance, I’m good. Plus it’s like the horns, which we’ll cover next.

The shoulder horns are where PL and PH’s opinions differ greatly from mine.

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Paul: “Tapered stripes usually look best if they taper toward the back, providing a sense of forward motion. The front-tapering horns just feel awkward and forced.”

Phil: “The jersey’s most prominent feature is the ‘horn/stripe’ on the sleeve caps wrapping to the front of the jersey. I think it’s pretty gimmicky and completely unneeded; they could just as easily made the horns plain stripes.”

Me: I get a sense of forward motion from the horns…the sense of a bull charging towards me. As “DD” from the comments section said yesterday, “If you’ve ever looked at a bull face to face, that’s what their horns look like. They curl up towards you, which is how they can hook something and toss it like a rag doll.” And Phil says “gimmicky” as if that’s a bad thing. The Texans had plain stripes before, and they were okay. The horns, on the other hand, add a little something extra. They’re not Tapered Stripes For Tapered Stripes’ Sake, they’re horns. They’re functional…emphasis on “fun.”

Paul didn’t have much to say about the pants, but that’s because the unveiling he covered focused on the helmets and jerseys. Phil’s take was, “When I first saw them, I was not a fan of the asymmetrical pants stripe, with a thick red/thin white stripe. I’m actually OK with that. But what I don’t like at all is the truncation — if you look closely the stripe terminates at the top, leaving a blue gap between the end of the stripe and the jersey (or untucked undershirt as the case may be).”

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Phil also noted that the space isn’t entirely blank, as you can see the little Texans logo there. I’m OK with all of it. While I won’t go as far as saying, “Any stripes are better than no stripes,” these particular stripes are a lot better than none.

Of all the options from Houston’s new uniforms, this has to be my favorite one. Here’s what I said in the comments: “I like them! They still look like the Texans, and let’s face it… their original unis were solid but they were just…there. From the neck down, nothing about the previous unis moved me at all. The horns are a nice touch.”

I’ll wait until we see the other options in a game to talk about them. For now, I just wanted to show you that Paul, Phil and I may be similar in some ways, and we may be about the same age, but that doesn’t mean we all think the same way. That may be a shock to those like “Chris” from yesterday’s comments who said, “Frankly man — and no offense intended — the whole thing sounds like the proverbial old man yelling at clouds. This seems to be an echo chamber filled with old white hipsters, and very little diversity of ideas.” I’ll share bits of my reply:

Can we stop with the tired “old man yelling at clouds” and the “old white hipsters” insults already?

There is no echo chamber here… Unless you work in marketing or sales, where age, race, etc. are factors, WHO CARES how young or old you are or what your race is when discussing unis? …on the weekends, I don’t want to see “Get off my lawn” or “old man yelling at clouds” or any phrase putting down someone’s age (young or old) in the comments. We can and should be better than this.

Seriously, this is the one big thing that has sucked some of the fun out of this site. Too many people (not the majority, but too many nonetheless) sound like marketing execs with comebacks like “You realize you’re not the target audience for these uniforms” when someone complains about a new design. Or they trot out the aforementioned stereotypical cliches. And of course it was even worse on Twitter when I pointed out the obvious design flaw of Notre Dame’s shiny gold numbers, and how they’ll be hard to see. I got all kinds of replies including, “go take your blood pressure medicine grandpa,” “How old are you, Jim?”, “go put your glasses on old f@#&,” and the stale “OK Boomer.” I’m neither a Boomer nor a grandpa, but it’s amazing how some people instinctively think that when you don’t like every single new thing that comes along. And it’s depressing how so many out there think people my age or older have nothing to contribute to society anymore just because we’re “not the target audience.” True, I don’t buy new jerseys, but I’m a consumer of games on television. With so many choices on our devices these days, teams should be trying to please as many viewers as possible. I know I’m not the only one who will keep flipping channels if I come across a really bad-looking game.

Anyway, the point I wanted to make is this: while we’re fans of capitalism, this is not a site that worries about retail sales or the consumer side of sports. We’re here to talk about how uniforms look on the field/court/rink/etc. If you’re interested in that, no matter what age you are, you’re welcome here. We won’t always agree on everything, but if we did, what fun would that be? Let’s keep it fun, and let’s respect our elders as well as our youngsters, and everyone in between.

Now then, I may be a fan of the Texans’ new look, but I’m not a fan of what Josh Allen came out wearing in yesterday’s Bills Blue & Red practice:

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According to Bills COO Pete Guelli, a record 36,136 fans witnessed Josh with an alternate helmet for the third straight year. If you’re like me, don’t worry, because so far none of his helmets have been worn by Buffalo in a game.

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I love the standing bison…I just wish I could see it from more than a foot away. Maybe next year Josh will come out in a ’94 fauxback helmet instead?

Let’s head a little north of Buffalo to Hamilton, Ontario, where one of the two CFL teams I haven’t showcased – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats – looked sharp in their black and gold against the Alouettes.

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They may not have pants stripes, but they looked good anyway. Hamilton didn’t play as well as they looked, though, losing to Montreal. The other team I haven’t shown this year is the BC Lions, and one of their players, Keon Hatcher, now goes by Hatcher Sr. on his jersey.

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Congrats to the new dad. Unfortunately the Lions were shut out Thursday night. Hopefully Junior will have something to cheer for next week.

 

 

 
  
 

That Does It For Today

I plan to venture into Washington, DC today. Wish me luck. I have something lined up for tomorrow, so even if I can’t cover any breaking news, you’ll have something to read. Take care, everyone.

 

 

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Comments (27)

    I appreciate your takes on this, Jim. The Texans looked better than I thought they would. I have no problem with the horns or the pants. My minor quibbles are the red stripes within the horns. It looks plasticky or rubberized or something. And I also think the numbers are too chunky. Not just thick but chunky. Seeing what the rest of their uniform sets are for this season, this may be the best of the lot.

    This is where I fall on these. I like the asymmetric pants stripes and wish more teams went this way. But my main criterion for a uniform design is if it improves what it is replacing, and I don’t think this does. The font is clunky and while they added superfluous spikes on the 6 and 9, they didn’t extend the horizontal swash on the 4 to cross the vertical. The bullhorn sleeve stripes feel as forced the Vikings’ “Norse ship” of a stripe.
    And kudos to calling out the tiresome and reductive sociologic carping. I am in my late 40s and I am acutely aware that I am not the target demographic. But I have way more disposable income than the target demographic, and I still watch sports, and bad design is bad design; forsaking good design and tradition to pander to young people is shortsighted.

    “They may not have pants stripes, but they looked good anyway.”

    The Tiger-Cats are doing it again this year. They also have yellow pants with the black stripe which they wore earlier this year. The pants with the black stripe look better.

    link

    Hamilton did the same thing last season. No explanation or reason given why they have both and why they wear pants with stripes or not. The mystery continues despite my attempts to get an explanation from the team.

    Texans fan here.
    I was terrified of the redesign. Scared to death that the Texans would “Nike-fy” everything and screw up what was a perfectly fine (if unspectacular) uniform.
    The unveiling mostly assuaged those fears. They managed to update the look without getting too stupid and made it clear Texans fans were part of the process all along and they really tried to add some elements that better connected them to the city.
    The first on-field look has made me feel even better. Are these classics alongside the Packers, Bears, 49ers, original Dolphins, etc? No, but that’s fine.
    Overall I’m happy with the redesign and feel like my team looks good.

    Are these classics alongside the Packers, Bears, 49ers, original Dolphins, etc? No, but that’s fine.

    Exactly.
    They were from different eras, so they shouldn’t necessarily be in the same style.

    I feel the same way about the Diamondbacks and Rays. They were from a different era than the Yankees or Dodgers, so they should have leaned in to their 90s-ness and not tried to look classic.

    The new Texans uniforms aren’t awful, but what was wrong with the old ones? I’ve heard then described as boring or dull. Were they? Makes me wonder… if the Chiefs/Packers/Bears rolled out their unis today, would they be labeled as dull because they don’t have weird striping/fonts? The Texans had it right. Not too “clean” (like the truly dull Jags uniforms) not too forced/complucated. Should’ve just left them alone.

    I agree with you 100%. I fully expect in about 10 years the Texans will introduce their new “throwbacks” and everyone will praise them and call them clean and timeless and wonder why they ever went away from them

    My issue with the old one is the thick color collar on the home and away uniforms. The best one was the color rush one which didn’t have a color collar.

    If a father and son are on the same team then the Jr/Sr thing on the nameplate is good, if they aren’t, then it’s just “look at me!”

    Yup, and you could say that about just about all of these suffixes on uniforms. I mean, congrats on having a kid and all.

    100% agree with you Jim. The name calling is an extension of politics where if you don’t agree with others and have no real argument people resort to name calling. Completely unnecessary. I am totally with your take on the Texans unis. I, for one, pay so little attention to them that I don’t even know that I would have noticed that they have new unis if I didn’t read this site. They still look like the Texans.

    I have come to terms with the fact that I am no longer the demographic at the mall, on the radio, in the movie theater and, yes, in sports uniform design, any more than my parents were at my age. I do think too much of culture has become obsessed with the hot take that will turn heads and open wallets [most Oregon Ducks uniforms for the last 20 years] but not necessary stand the test of time [their newly released throwbacks.] Still, good is good, whether it’s James Taylor or Taylor Swift. I can simultaneously love the Bucs’ original creamsickles and their current pewters, as well as their litter mates the Seahawks’ original royal & silver and their current navy & neon, both of whom own both, while decrying Tampa Bay’s alarm clock years and Seattle’s Holmgren era. But taste is impossible to quantify, which is why my buddy will not eat eggplant no matter how well it’s prepared. So, perhaps the judge got it right in My Cousin Vinnie: “That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out objection … Overruled!”

    good is good, whether it’s James Taylor or Taylor Swift. I can simultaneously love the Bucs’ original creamsicles and their current pewters, as well as their litter mates the Seahawks’ original royal & silver and their current navy & neon, both of whom own both, while decrying Tampa Bay’s alarm clock years and Seattle’s Holmgren era.

    Bingo.

    Are we related?

    Regarding the vitriol in the comments, I believe it stems from the fact that in the last few months of Paul’s stewardship it felt like every single new uniform was instantly slandered, and all throwbacks were treated like they were the greatest thing since sliced bread, even frustratingly boring uniforms like the Jets’ “new” threads. That and any uniform featuring black was instantly dismissed with the stale BFBS moniker. When people disagreed in the comments, site leadership became increasingly combative. However, I really appreciate how the new site leaders are more open-minded towards change, and willing to interact respectfully with differing opinions in the comments. Also, the new Texans unis look fantastic!

    I agree with this. With no disrespect to Paul, I think there’s been a noticeable change in the editorial voice since the change. The tone here in recent years started skewing negative, and even though Phil and Jim have similar uniform taste to Paul, my observation is that they’re both looking a little differently at the whole landscape of sports aesthetics.

    Which is all to say, I’m glad Jim likes the Texans new unis, even if (as somewhat less of a classicist than he is) I don’t rate them all that highly.

    I’m no sadist, but I actually enjoy some of the “vitriol”. I look at it as performance art that highlights our societal ills. I also think it reaffirms the passion we ALL share for uniforms regardless of how one might look. When I read the comments that are especially heated, I take a few moments to enjoy my seethe. I think it’s important to seethe from time to time. Such comments also reaffirm that I am a good person.
    I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.

    I actually like these Texan uniforms better than the originals, but I would like some tweaks.
    And they are…
    Place the red stripe on the bottom of the horn, thus matching the striping on the pants. I have no problem with asymmetrical stripes on pants and jerseys. I can’t stand them on helmets… Virginia! I don’t even consider these stripes asymmetrical on pants. Asymmetrical stripe on pants to me means stripes on one leg and not the other.
    Swap colors on the pants stripe. That much red comes from out of nowhere. I think white with red trim makes more sense.
    Make the hip logo a little bigger and more pronounced. Close the gap a little without changing the stripe itself.
    Don’t overhaul the number font, but please tone it down a little.

    My issue is with football uniforms across the NFL (and college). No sleeves. Long undershirts that extend past the jersey. A random mix of colored cleats. And the three most recent crimes against football uni-fashion: biker shorts…tights that are replacing socks….and WFWS. What a mess. In the race to the bottom, I give the NFL a slight edge over the NBA.

    Jim, I appreciate your perspective on the “grandpa” and “boomer” comments. I’ve been following Uni Watch for nearly 25 years, first for the facts and news, second for the opinions of the writer, whoever it might be, and a distant third for the reader comments. I don’t give a whit for the marketability of of a particular piece of “merchandise.”

    I’m the infamous “Chris” mentioned above. I don’t think I made my point very well, so let me make it again.

    1. For people who are into sports uniforms, many of you seem to deeply dislike most of the uniforms discussed on this website. And you seem very passionate about pointing that out at every opportunity. Is “hate” a fair description of your feelings? Based on your words, I would say, Yes. It seems odd to me that people who claim to be sports uniform enthusiasts or aficionados or whatever are so dismissive and disdainful of most of what players are wearing, to the point of casually tossing around insults and contempt routinely (eg, when disliked uniforms are referred to as “costumes”). I dunno, man. Something is off about that. Perhaps not an echo chamber, but more like group therapy.

    2. The constant negativity is a real turn-off for me. I start to read about a new uniform, and you’re just shitting on it the entire time. For chrissakes, lighten up a bit will ya. Honestly, it reminds me of the defining feature of the hipster: Too cool to like anything. Please consider write-ups that emphasize what’s happening and the information about the uniform instead of extended discourses on why you hate it. See sportslogos.net for how that might work. I know, I know. It’s your website, and I can love it or leave it. Given your view, I suppose that’s the end of the discussion, right?

    3. Yes, my opinion is that your opinions (at least on that post) are properly described with the proverb of the old man yelling at clouds. I said it “seems like” that, not that you are that. It’s a classic Simpsons reference and was intended as a light-hearted thing (ie, “no offense intended”), which is no doubt why you made the reference first. But for whatever reason, my use of the meme obviously struck a nerve, but your use of it was not ageist, racist, etc. I do not believe in defining people by their social groups, so I apologize that my comment made it seem that way. I think you should consider whether you took offense to that perceived aggression and responded emotionally to it rather than answering the substance of my criticism. Perhaps that will be possible now that I have coherently expressed it.

    4. Thanks for considering my view, or at least allowing it to be posted. That has never been the case before, and that means something to me. I am a uni enthusiast too; I just don’t think everyone always needs to know which ones I like and don’t. And I don’t begrudge you your opinions. Just so you know, I won’t comment unprompted on this issue again here.

    You’re not going to get anywhere with this, as good as your explanation may be.

    Under previous site leadership, I was threatened with a permanent ban for supposedly intentionally insulting and attacking a UW staff member. It was someone who had expressed relief that their team had missed the playoffs, because they couldn’t bear to watch them due to the recent introduction of an advertisement on their jerseys. I replied “So you’re not really a (team) fan then, eh?”. I didn’t think much of it (nor did I receive a reply from the OP) until I got a friendly email from the former editor in chief that started with “Fuck you.” Very nice!

    Oh, and I’ve also been threatened with a temporary ban for commenting “oldmanyellsatcloud.jpeg” under exactly the type of comment you’re talking about.

    Anyway, I’m just glad that others seem to share my sentiments.

    Thanks for sharing that. I have had similar experiences. And of course you’re right about this going nowhere. The whole thing is ridiculous.

    Thank you for responding, but I’m a little confused. It sounds like a reply to Phil about something I wrote… almost as if you combined the two articles into one.
    I did a follow-up article on the Texans because Phil usually seeks my input on uni reveals, especially for football. I didn’t have time to add anything the day of his article. I also did it to show that we’re not an echo chamber here. He didn’t like them as much as I did. Sometimes he’ll like something that I won’t. We don’t automatically dislike everything new, so what got my goat was the assumption that we do, along with the classic tired Simpsons reference.
    I’m not about to issue any bans over this (I don’t even think I have the authority to), but I’m just asking people to try a little harder. You can have a different opinion, but don’t fall back on broad assumptions and don’t dismiss someone else’s opinions with an age joke.

    And Charlie, I can sort of relate. I used to get emails about a comment that never appeared, along with a reason why. Fortunately mine never started the way yours did.

    Respectfully Jim, you’re not confused. Please respond to why it’s ok for the OP to make the “tired” reference himself, but not ok for me to repeat it. Please respond to why the tone and content of the articles is so negative so often. Please respond to the question of whether it makes sense for you to express your opinions and then become upset because others express theirs IN THE SAME WAY. I’m asking you to try a little harder too.

    I’m not saying it’s okay to make the same reference. I did cringe when Phil used it, because I cringe when anyone uses it anymore.
    Again, it sounds as if you’re blending us together, because you said “Please respond to the question of whether it makes sense for you to express your opinions and then become upset because others express theirs IN THE SAME WAY.”
    *I* didn’t express my opinion that way. Phil did. And maybe the reference doesn’t bother Phil, so if you all want to use it during the week, I don’t have much say in that. I’m just asking for people to not use it on the weekends, because I’m the one who writes those, and I have better things to do than get into age arguments when we’re here to review (which includes both complaining about and applauding) uniforms.
    And if you want to know why Paul and Phil’s reviews were more negative than mine, don’t ask me. Ask them.

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