Way back in 2021, the Cleveland Browns — then celebrating their 75th Season as a professional football franchise — by debuting a “1946” fauxback uniform. Back then, the NFL was still using the “one shell” rule, so the Browns paired that uniform with the orange shell they had at the time. Since their original 1946 uniforms had white helmets, the “1946” uniform was more of a franken-uni than anything, but still, it was a nice harkback to the team’s early days.
It appeared this uniform would be a one-year wonder, introduced for the 75th season celebration. In 2022, the team mothballed the all white uniforms, instead wearing their “Color Rush” uniforms as their alternates.
But concurrently, the NFL lifted it’s one shell ban, so the Browns set about to create a new color helmet, which they would introduce last season and would pair with the “1946” uniform to create a true throwback. Only, that didn’t quite happen, as the Browns original white helmets were completely plain, and the new white helmet added a brown/orange/brown stripe. So it still wasn’t completely accurate to the original, but it was closer.
The team wanted maximum exposure for the new alternate helmet, and they wore it the maximum three times last year: a Week 2 Monday Night Football tilt against the Steelers, in Week 6 against the 49ers, and one final time in a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Jets in Week 17.
The team has now announced they will once again wear the white alternate helmets and “1946” uniforms three times for the 2024 season.
They’ll wear them in Week 4 (September 29th) on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, a Week 13 (December 2) Monday Night Football game in Denver against the Broncos, who will be debuting their own new white helmet/blue jersey for the game, and finally two weeks later, on Sunday, December 15 (Week 15) against the Kansas City Chiefs (their lone home game wearing the throwbacks).
I’m not a huge fan of the “1946” uniform, though I prefer it with the white helmet to the previous orange helmet. It’s interesting the team will wear it on the road twice. Since the Browns are the only team who does not have a helmet logo, they added the stripes in order to keep it from being completely plain. But by adding the stripes, the team sacrificed accuracy. It’s not an unforgiveable sin, but those of us who like throwbacks to be as accurate as possible would have preferred the plain white helmet.
What are your feelings about this not-quite-throwback? Did the Browns do the right thing by adding a stripe to keep the helmet from being too plain, or should they have tried to make it as close to the original plain white helmet as possible? And strictly as a uniform, do you like the “White Out” look?
WFWS strikes again and the Chalktastrophe of 2024 moves forward unabated. BOOOOOOO!!!
I absolutely love the white out uniforms All teams should have a All white uniform combo I love it So cool professional clean stands out on TV big-time then with the fans asked to wear white shirts or have white towels are you kidding me That’s awesome on looking at the TV Browns look I think is one of the best Jets are nice to
does this really count since its homage to their original uniforms?
It doesn’t. To your point it’s the original look of the team, the browns have worn all white and white at home at one of the highest rates in the nfl, and the white lid was a logically safe and incredibly conservative move for a second shell given what the helmet represents.
This alt is basically the antithesis of chasing trends while still trying to sell something different. It feels like BFBS/WFWS/etc. might be doubling back on itself a bit now (it’s still a problem, but I increasingly see people calling any black/white/grey uniform one of those labels even when there is long standing precedent before the trend, or it is a team color).
As a Browns fan that also likes a throwback to be an actual throw back, I can live with the helmet stripes. It’s better than hearing people complain about how all white is boring and the fact that the regular helmet is boring.
I agree, but I also kind of wish the Browns said “fuck it, you think our normal helmet is boring, here’s a plain white shell that looks like a peewee standard issue”
Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll decide to not throw on the stripe for a game. Hell pair it with the stripe-less color rush and make Penn state look like Oregon with all their bells and whistles.
The uniform was for the 75th anniversary, not the 75th season. It would have been the 76th season, if not for the inactive years (probably why Cleveland always does “anniversary” years instead of “season” years)
This season is actually the 75th season of Browns football
Wait no, last season was the 75th season
Much nicer than the 49er “throwback” monstrosities that I seem to remember you praising.
Awww. The Niners throwbacks aren’t monstrosities. Although definitely the worst uni in their current wardrobe and a close third to last all-time above the burgundy years and their BFBS attempt that must be killed with fire.
I love that they have to promote the white helmet with publicity that includes an orange helmet because that is their actual logo. I love this for Cleveland.
“Our visual identity is literally an orange helmet, but please enjoy this white helmet.” That’s so Cleve. Total “the land” move.
On a related note, I actually love their throwbacks, and think they should replace their primary whites (but paired with colored pants, typically), and a drop shadow be added to their brown jersey. I also don’t want to downgrade the orange helmet, but the white helmet paired with the throwback makes for the best looking mono white uni in the league.
And in conclusion: another “white out” gimmick? Have an original thought FFS. Just wear the white jersey and don’t make it a thing.
I would also prefer an all white throwback helmet for accuracy. Although,if they felt the helmet stripe was absolutely necessary, why not match the a bit thinner orange-brown-orange stripe of the pants and not contradict with the pattern on the helmet?
I’d be fine with stripes or no stripes. Stripes is historically accurate, but also from a time when they wore leather helmets, so it is not apples to apples anyway. Stripes look better, so I don’t mind, it is less a full on throwback, more a legacy design, which I think makes sense given how much equipment, materials, etc of uniforms have changed in almost 80 years.
This is all fine. Helmet stripe does not detract one bit.
While clean…wearing ‘em 3x is 2x too many.
What’s the over/under on the orange pants?
So last year was 6 regular season. 4x divisional games (the other two were these throwbacks) and for some reason Chicago and Houston (playoff chase maybe? I feel like they were picking up steam with fan dialogue from ownership).
I’m taking the over this year but it could be close. Given the all whites are not divisional games, I bet it’s 5-6 there and I could see the other “big games” as options (Dallas opener and Miami SNF feel most likely). Might be like 7 orange pants, 8 white (3 being the throwback sets), 2 brown
After enduring the abominable garbage they wore from 2015 through 2019, anything else looks good, or at least tolerable, to me. (Except the turd pants. I really hope they never wear those again.)
Still pissed about 2017, obviously.
I like the Browns all white uni combo because even though it’s a fauxback, it’s a nice nod to the days of Paul Brown, Marion Motley, Otto Graham, Lou Groza and the team that dominated the AAFC before conquering the NFL. When your last title was 60 years ago, your last division title 35 years ago and you’ve only made the playoffs four times since 1994, you celebrate success wherever you can find it (even tho I think the Kardiac Kids brown jerseys and orange pants are their best and most iconic look).
Bernie vibes, like it
As a Cleveland native and Browns fan I would certainly order the 1946 uniforms to have no stripe but I don’t mind the addition of the stripes. I too find it odd they chose to wear it twice on the road and all against AFC West squads. Why not against all Central Division rivals? That would make more sense.
The orange pants feel like the standard for divisional/playoff games now, especially given some bad vibes around the Steelers game last year in all white (the last game was the only other to not have orange pants, and that was a throwaway on the road with playoffs locked up so makes sense they wouldn’t wear the orange).
I think they rolled with the all whites on the road given Denver is a MNF game, and I’m guessing it’ll be a favorable crowd in Vegas and a nice old school combo with the raiders. Home against the chiefs makes sense to try and add extra hype to that matchup
Why are these dates announced? If you watch football, you watch football- it will make no difference what uniform they are wearing.
Rhetorical question- its simply part and parcel of a dbaggery that coats EVERYTHING in American society in this modern age.
You’re on a website that goes into granular detail about uniforms complaining about the author going into granular detail about uniforms.
You seem fun.
These white helmets should have the team logo, an orange helmet! That would be ridiculously awesome!
Just bothers me the helmet stripe doesnt match the pants stripe. The Browns have almost-always had orange-brown-orange as the pattern when on a white base (save for a few years when they first came back. They had white pants with both stripes). The fact that this helmet strays away for some reason, and doesnt even match the pants they pair the helmet with, bothers me
While it doesn’t match the pants, I do think it balances with the sleeves well. Given they are brown on the edges I think the photo nicely shows off the stronger part.
I’m betting they really looked at both options. And ultimately it came down to:
1. The b-o-b on the helmet looking better (contrast on the helmet, and mirroring without matching the sleeves)
2. Not wanting to make an extra alt pant just to match the helmet
Would be interesting to see a mock up, but my gut is while not a match this might look better holistically.