Kritik und Anregungen » o more than three

In 1964, the Dallas Cowboys changed their helmet shell from white to the silver that they still wear today. The helmet logo, a five-pointed star, stayed essentially the same -- but they were considering going in a very different direction.An old wire service photo taken on Feb. 5, 1965, shows team owner Clint Murchison, coach Tom Landry and general manager Tex Schramm examining two helmets, both of which appear to be silver. One has the familiar star logo, but the other shows a cowboy boot:Obviously, the Cowboys chose to stick with the star. The boot logo was never used, but it has been the subject of considerable What if? speculation by Cowboys scholars and NFL uniform researchers. The folks behind excellent helmet-centric website Helmet Hut have gone so far as to create a reproduction of it, giving us a better sense of what might have been (further info here):Prototypes like these are more common than you might think. Teams usually experiment with several different uniform options before settling on one design. Most of those options never make it onto the field, but some of them end up living on in the photographic record. Heres a look back at some NFL prototypes that, like the Cowboys 1965 boot logo, ended up getting the boot. Some, like the Dallas example, are from several decades ago, and others are from more recent history.1. Probably the most famous prototype in NFL history is the San Francisco 49ers notorious redesigned helmet from 1991, which provoked such universal fan backlash that the team abandoned the whole idea and basically said never mind six days later -- but not before the new design was enshrined in the official NFL Style Guide. (The full story of this logos creation and eventual retraction can be found here.)2. The Cincinnati Bengals wore a plain helmet design for the first 13 years of their existence before switching to their current tiger-striped shell in 1981. But they almost went with stripes right from the get-go, as seen in this photo of team founder Paul Brown considering various prototype designs prior to the teams first season:3. The Cleveland Browns have stubbornly and famously remained the only NFL team without a helmet logo. But in 1965 they were considering a CB logo. Despite rumors of the logo having been worn in preseason games, it was never worn on the field in any capacity. It lives on, however, in vintage NFL program covers, department store ads, and promotional merchandise (additional info here):4. In 1993, the New England Patriots replaced their Pat Patriot mascot with the Minuteman character who has become known as Flying Elvis. But 14 years earlier, in 1979, they had been tinkering with another Minuteman mascot, and they were so serious about it that they even announced that Pat Patriot was being retired. But owner Billy Cunningham got cold feet and decided to let fans choose between the old and new logos during a halftime vote. Pat Patriot won in a landslide and the initial Minuteman logo was mothballed. (For more details on this story, look here.)5. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers switched from their original Bucco Bruce helmet design to their pewter helmet with the pirate flag logo, they considered a variety of other concepts. The team has displayed those rejected helmets at One Buc Place (further info here):6. When the Houston Texans franchise name and logo were unveiled in 2000, team and league officials posed with a white helmet. That was changed to the current blue shell by the time the team began play in 2002, but not before the white design had already been configured into the Madden video game.7. When the Seattle Seahawks updated their logo to look more ferocious in 2002, fans were offered a choice: The team could put the new logo on its longstanding silver helmet shell, or it could switch to a new dark-blue shell. Of the 64,513 fans who voted, more than 76 percent chose blue, relegating the silver option to the realm of unused prototypes.8. When the Jacksonville Jaguars were named as the NFLs 30th franchise in 1993, the team was originally slated to wear an innovative uniform design featuring a leaping jaguar on the helmet and jersey shoulders. But the Ford Motor Company, which owned the Jaguar car brand at the time, felt that the leaping cat was a potential trademark violation. Although no lawsuit was ever filed, the team ultimately changed its uniforms before hitting the field for the 1995 season.9. The Jags werent the only 1995 expansion team with a prototype that was eventually discarded. The Carolina Panthers had initially planned for their home jerseys to be blue, not black. When the Panthers took the field in 95 wearing black jerseys [instead of the blue ones that had previously been shown], I called the team office to find out what happened to the blue unis, said Uni Watch reader Kevin Mericle. Their PR guy told me that when they did some photo shoots of the blue jerseys in sunlight, it caused the dye to turn a brownish color. (Of course, that didnt prevent the Panthers from later adding a blue alternate jersey.)10. In 2003, Reebok prepared a series of new uniform designs for the Minnesota Vikings, with an eye toward bringing them onto the field in 2005. As it turned out, the Vikes rejected all of these concepts, but they offer an intriguing look into the road not taken. (For additional images and information, look here.)There are still more prototypes floating around out there (and, almost certainly, dozens more that well never find out about), but you get the idea.The general feeling about prototypes has always been to treat them as historical footnotes or oddball curiosities. But given how freewheeling the uniform scene has gotten in recent years, why not bring some of these designs onto the field for a day, as a What Might Have Been promotion? Some of them, like the Cowboys, 49ers, Browns and Bengals examples could be brought into the real world without even violating the NFLs current rules regarding helmet shells. And hey, just about all of them would be better than the recent Color Rush designs.Would you like to nominate a uniform or uni element to be showcased in a future Friday Flashback installment? Send your suggestions here.Paul Lukas thinks a What Might Have Been promotion featuring old prototype designs would be a big, big hit. If you liked this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To learn about his Uni Watch membership program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question, contact him here. Nike Air Max 95 Rabatt . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Air Max 200 Dam . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/ . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Nike Air Max 720 Sverige . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Nike Air Max 720 Rabatt . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. ATLANTA -- Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker expects Joe Ross to return from the 60-day disabled list Sunday and make his first start since July 2.Baker will keep Ross on a pitch count, probably no more than three innings, when Washington closes a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.Ross has been sidelined with right shoulder inflammation. He went 7-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 16 starts before getting hurt.With a magic number of six to clinch the NL East, Baker wants to use the last two weeks of the regular season to set up his rotation for the playoffs, but Ross role is uncertain.Well see how his arm feels, Baker said Saturday. Then well increase the workload as he can or maybe see how he does out of the pen. Its just important to us that he gets on a mound and inn a game before we start worrying about what we can expect from him.ddddddddddddMax Scherzer, Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez are set as the top three with two-time All-Star Stephen Strasburg sidelined with a strained flexor mass in his right forearm. He hasnt made a start since lasting 2 1/3 innings in a Sept. 7 start against the Braves.Strasburg began exercising his arm Friday and threw for a few minutes Saturday, but Baker had no timetable for a possible return. Baker would like for Ross to work his way back as a starter.I talk to guys in the league, Baker said, and they said he has as nasty stuff as any young right-hander that they have faced. ' ' '