The Bengals New Uniforms
Okay so first, a health update: Had another big flare up last week, doctors still don’t know what’s wrong with me, so updates in coming weeks might be a bit disjointed. Draft cards this year are probably going to be another case like 2017, when I drew them on the spot. Thanks to this and various other factors I have nothing done yet, so thems the breaks. I still laugh at those so honestly I’m fine with that. If I come up with a creative and expedient alternate idea for them in two days I’ll do that instead.
On to the uniforms!
I like them. One of the best Nike has done. The Bengals were in dire need of an update as they still had side panels, a glorious early 2000’s era trainwreck of a design element. Glad to see it go the way of the dodo. Like every major re-design, Nike was essentially given two choices. Get weird, or get simple. Most of their attempts to get weird so far (Browns, Falcons, Bucs, Rams) have gotten a mixed reception at best. All of their more simplistic basic attempts to clean things up have gone well. This is the case with the Bengals. They went simple and safe and it looks fantastic.
Unlike the new Bucs, Browns, and Dolphins, where they basically just went back to a classic design and don’t deserve credit for it, I think they deserve credit here. The Bengals uniforms have always been somewhat doomed by the tiger stripe elements they basically have to use and this is the first uniform where I think they finally really work on the shoulders. This might actually be my favorite Bengals uniform style in history. Simple works wonders for a team that is generally too busy, and the jersey and pants are now in line with the helmet, which has always ruled.
Are they basically tweaked versions of the color rush? Yeah, especially the white away ones, but I don’t care. That was also Nike’s work and it was a good look. Still hoping for a white helmet they can wear with it, but I’m groovy with these duds. I really have no problems with it. I like the number font. I like the shoulders and how they used the stripes. I love the orange version with the black pants. A lot of people complained about the “Bengals” above the number but it isn’t that big (like those dreadful Atlanta “ATL”s) and it looks better than the B logo that they had previously. It’s small, it adds a minor touch of color, it’s great.
I think the only thing they did that I dislike is the pants that have the orange stripes. The stripes are outlined by black lines, and it doesn’t work. Take away the black lines. Better yet, make the stripes black. The black stripe pants are fine as is.
Also, yes, I re-drew everything for this one. The original version’s art was so flawed to me by this point that I hated looking at it. Consider this the soft reboot.
I really enjoyed those new unis, but I couldn’t help noticing how the number typeface is practically the same as the one used by the Bears, even more so because they have an orange alternate. Then I proceeded to check the old Bengals unis only to realize they had the same typeface as the Bears all these years, just with a block shadow effect on top of the outline. But the side panels and different color sleeves made them look different enough.
Looking back at those 2017 draft cards and you drew Deshaun Watson with a superhero cape.
You wrote “reach” on Patrick Mahomes’ card and yet THAT is the thing that has aged worse.
I’ve gotten a lot of blowback for the reach thing but to give full context to that, I didn’t know who Mahomes was. I hadn’t read any draft analysis that year. When he was drafted, my timeline was filled with people laughing at the pick and calling it a reach. From what I could gather that day and later was that he was the Josh Allen of the draft, the big guy with all the athletic tools who many didn’t expect to put it together. Deshaun Watson was the only QB I knew that year and I knew he was good. Well, as a player.
Oh yes, if only you had read the draaaaaft analysis. That stuff would have led you to the promised land. /sarcasm.
It looks like you fell into the “Post Draft Grades and Overreactions” portion of the Dreaded Draft Cycle, Dave. I think every single sports outlet doing a post-draft assessment should be forced to include your clause. “To give full context to these nonsensical grades I’m pulling out of my ass, I don’t know who [x player] is.”
Players are like pieces. And teams are like the puzzle. If the piece fits into the puzzle, it’s gonna work. If the piece don’t fit, he’ll play like… poop. And it’s impossible to see if the piece fits until you actually try placing it. PUZZLES!
Why so agressive? It’s just a picture drawn for entertainment, not a legitimate grade.
I tend to adjust the style of my jokes to the person I’m joking about. Dave is very aggressive & quick to point and laugh when draft pundits do things like this, so I think it’s funny to do the same thing to him when he ends up falling into the same scenarios he mocks them for. If he didn’t try to legitimately defend it, and simply said “it’s just a picture drawn for entertainment,” I wouldn’t have ribbed him about it.
I didn’t think it was a reach, but I did think the Chiefs massively overpaid for him because they knew they had to make an offer so good that the Bills wouldn’t even bother to shop it to the Browns or Saints before accepting.
I actually think these are pretty sharp. Good job Nike, for once. Sometimes small fixes are better than a complete overhaul.
I like the new uniforms. I’m very much a proponent of simpler is usually better, but in this case the only change I would make would be to extend the tiger stripes into the front of the pants. Putting a horizontal design element only on the side panel truncates it and makes it look more like color blocks than stripes, like the side blocking on an NBA uniform from the 1970s. If they were allowed to extend fully across the front of the pants, it would more clearly represent a tiger’s stripes, as well as harmonize better with the stripes on the shoulders and helmet.
“Reach” – Dave Rappocicio
I thought the template looked a bit different
hope u feel better
I’m always scared when these guys show up in a comic! What has Nike ruined now? This one’s fine though. Whew.
…though I was stunned to learn that the cigar is actually an official part of the uniform. Bold move, Nike!
My only request is that you include what team drafted the player for he draft card. I checked 2017, and other than the big stars like Mahomes, I couldn’t remember who went where
First off I really hope that you get better, Dave. That friggin sucks.
Secondly, LET’S MAKE THE STEELERS’ COLOR RUSH UNIFORM THEIR OFFICIAL UNIFORM NOW PLZ, K THX
fuck that. bumblebee brigade forever!
I like the sketches for the 2017 draft class. Especially Taco Charlton.
Oof, sorry to hear about your stomach issues, Dave. Hopefully your body starts cooperating sooner rather than later.
But yeah! Draft time! Out of all the draft cards you’ve done, 2017’s definitely my favorite set. It’s just balls-to-the-walls chaos all over and it’s really fun. The guys with food for heads, random dialogue, Garett Bolles’s actual face, etc.
(Oh yeah, you never got around to adding Jake Butt’s card onto the actual draft cards page. If you ever get the time, that’d be nice.)
When these first got leaked a lot of my buddies (including a Bengals fan) were pretty disappointed with them, but I got the vibe that they were likely better suited for an actual uniform rather than a fan jersey. Similar to the Chargers’ threads in a way. Looks like my gut feeling was right because these are clean, honestly. Nike didn’t go over the top but applied a modern update to a badly outdated uniform. Good work, Bengals.