The Scoop by Carla Maull
Another Sunday Afternoon Debate
From the Oct. 15, 1998 TV Times
With the changing of the seasons, the days are getting shorter and the nights a little crisper. This could only mean one thing: cold Sunday afternoons with the NFL!
Every Sunday at my house from September through January is spent watching football.
The teams may change, but the "players" stay the same. Me, my husband (you know him -- Dave) and our friend Bubba. Our dog Laney is there, too, but when the cheering gets out of hand, she often retreats to a quiet corner of the house.
The majority of the time, we watch the Eagles (they're Dave and Bub¹s team). Sometimes I get to see my team -- the Cincinnati Bengals. Okay, don't laugh!
We spend these Sundays watching any game that happens to be on. We analyze the plays, the players and the coaches. We also criticize the color commentators.
This becomes an issue when we start wondering if they're watching the same game we are.
Most of the time this happens when John Madden is calling a game. If the Cowboys are playing, to him, they are the only team on the field. They could be losing 48-0 to the Rams and he'll still be singing their praises.
This often incites the three of us to lose all control and shout derogatory comments at the television.
On those Sundays when the action bogs down and becomes boring, we discuss everything from historic football trivia to the impact the cheerleaders don't have on the game. Quite often, the discussion deteriorates to the uniforms -- what we like, what we hate, good designs and classic designs. Mr. Blackwell would be proud of our analysis.
These are my picks:
BEST NEW TEAM DESIGN:
Carolina Panthers -- Black, white and marine blue are always a good combination. The panther design on the helmet is a good representation. Fierce, yet not realistic, unlike the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have tried to make their logo too realistic along with having too many colors in their uniform. They, too, went with the black, blue and white theme, but felt the need to add a goldish-brown color. I guess this is to represent the golden-brown coat of the Jaguar. It didn¹t work.
Honorable mention: Baltimore Ravens. Only because purple and black is my favorite color combination. But why the shield with the B on it? Why not a raven? It could have been great. They should have taken a cue from Sussex Tech High School's logo. Now that's a raven.
BEST REDESIGN:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Hands down. Anything is better than sherbet orange and white. They chose a good Buccaneer logo along with a rich red and a color called "pewter." It looks more like a bronzed-gold to me. But I like it. On a side note, the pirate ship in their new stadium is a little over the top. And what is with the cannons?
BEST CLASSIC DESIGN:
Green Bay Packers. This uniform hasn't changed since the beginning of time. The combination of yellow and green work well with home and road uniforms. I also like the simple G on the helmet. The Chicago Bears must also appear at the top of this list.
BEST RETRO:
New York Jets. They've gone back to the uniform of the Joe Namath days. Good choice. Maybe the classic design will help them make the playoffs.
BEST TOP 5 OVERALL:
- Pittsburgh Steelers: No explanation necessary.
- San Francisco 49ers: Red and metallic gold always a good choice.
- Cincinnati Bengals: I love the helmet.
- New England Patriots: The patriot logo is excellent and substituting silver for white was a good move.
- Philadelphia Eagles: Good logo redesign and colors.
WORST TOP 5 OVERALL:
- Washington Redskins: Burgundy and yellow don¹t go together no matter what shade you use!
- Tennessee Oilers: Powder blue doesn¹t work well with a contact sport.
- Detroit Lions: See Tennessee Oilers.
- New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings: Hey guys, the '70s are over.
And speaking of the '70s, when I was 10, we moved to Washington, D.C. from Seattle. We were settling into our new home on Super Bowl Sunday and I was just beginning to watch professional football. As I watched, only one thing went through my mind. Who were those guys in those hideous burgundy and "gold" (more like French's Mustard Yellow) uniforms? I asked my dad who they were; he told me the Washington Redskins. I was appalled and have hated the Redskins to this day!
Superficial you say? I know, but that's just the way it is.
You may think uniforms are not important, but I know people who have stranger reasons to like or dislike a team.
The 1998 season has started with a whimper and I predict that Dave, Bubba and I will have this conversation more than once. And Laney? She'll just find a quiet corner to chew on her rawhide bone.
Ahh, rainy Sundays and the NFL.
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