It All Hinges on This....

What an amazing game down in Dallas. The first half was all Green Bay, but the Cowboys staged a monumental comeback to tie it before the Packers sealed the win in the closing seconds.

I spent the entire fourth quarter trying to focus my nervous energy on something, anything other than Dallas's ongoing comeback. One of the things that I settled on was the Packers' helmets. Specifically one of the newer models.

Green Bay Packers strong safety Micah Hyde (33) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The helmet Hyde is wearing is the Riddell SpeedFlex. And yes, I kind of hate that I know the focus group-tested names of these helmet models. Almost as bad as keeping track of Nike's silly template names, but that's a subject for another post.

In any case, the SpeedFlex is easily identifiable by the hinged panel front and center. That hinge is supposedly part of the technology that will make the game safer (which is abject bullpucky, but whatever). Uni Watch did a piece on these helmets a couple years ago, and explains the purpose behind the hinge:

(T)he SpeedFlex's defining visual feature is a cutout on the crown, which creates a flexible panel designed to disperse the force of an impact. How flexible is it? Judging from a sample helmet that Riddell provided at Uni Watch's request, the panel definitely has some give -- if you push on it, it bends a bit(.)

Aside from its functionality(,) the flex panel also makes the SpeedFlex instantly recognizable, even from a distance, which no doubt pleases Riddell's marketing department (although the visual impact is diminished a bit if the helmet has center striping, because the stripe tape obscures the lower part of the cutout).

At least, it sometimes obscures the lower part of the cutout. The Packers' equipment managers interrupt the team's Braisher stripes.

Let's take a closer look at that helmet Hyde is wearing:

You can also see it in the background, on Jake Ryan (#47):

The Packers' trademark stripes are cut at the hinge, creating a visible break that's identifiable even at a distance. Identifiable even in the blurry background of a photo.

At some angles, the gold shell under the stripes is clearly visible, emphasizing that break even more.

Green Bay Packers strong safety Micah Hyde (33) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Riddell's marketing department must be so proud.

But let's take a look at the other sideline; the Cowboys also prominently use Braisher stripes on their helmets. Here's how Dallas treats the hinge:

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) carries the ball during an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (Ryan Kang/NFL)

The Cowboys run their stripes clear over the hinge without a break:

This diminishes the look of the hinge, putting the team's look above the helmet manufacturer's.

I don't often say this, but I vastly prefer the Cowboys' approach.

"C" Ya!

The game yesterday was a classic NFC North clash, two old-school teams in cold weather. The frigid conditions were great optics but hard on the equipment.

Halfway through the second quarter, linebacker Joe Thomas clashed helmets with Ka'Deem Carey, knocking the "C" decal right off his helmet. You can see it here (until the NFL has the footage pulled):


The Packers had their own share of decal problems. Linebacker Jake Ryan's helmet was similarly battered during the game:

After the game, Ryan tweeted out this picture:

When you play in -10°... pic.twitter.com/ILQJH7dp1h

— Jake Ryan (@JakeRyan_47) December 18, 2016

Ouch. Here's a closer look:

Let's try to forget the helmet-on-helmet contact that created all these marks and focus on the helmets themselves. The paint and decals were made so brittle that they crumbled and snapped. Very striking.

A Little Touch of Gold (UPDATED)

No picture yet, but there's a small tweak to the Packers' helmets - the NFL decal on the back has been changed to match the gold/black version commemorating the 50th Super Bowl.

This has been around since January of last year, and has been featured on sideline merchandise (not to mention all manner of merchandise), but so far as I know this is its first appearance on uniforms.

Picture to come.

---

UPDATE:    Here's a good look:

Photo credit: Jim Biever, Packers.com

I don't mind this. I'm not a fan of all the clutter they slap on the back of the helmets, and at worst this is a little less busy than the red-white-and-blue logo they usually wear.

Kinda surprised they didn't do that with the league patch on the jerseys. Maybe they're saving that for the Super Bowl itself.

Snow Day!

Ah, football in the snow. The best the game ever looks.

Green Bay Packers' Jarrett Bush (24) celebrates with Datone Jones (95) after Bush intercepted a pass during the final seconds of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 22-21. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

I am looking forward to a Super Bowl played in real elements, not an antiseptic, air-conditioned tropical dome. And with by squeaking out a win against the Falcons, the Packers kept alive our hopes that they could be the ones to play in it next February.

Green Bay Packers' Eddie Lacy runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)

You can see that Eddie Lacy had an issue with his Braisher stripes. I don't know if the cold made the decals more brittle, or if he just took a hard hit across his helmet, but he lost a chunk of a green stripe (and picked up a large wad of Tundra as well):

That's an issue we often see with the Bears' logo decals, but it's not one the Packers frequently have to deal with.

The photo at top also gives us another look at the various jersey templates the Packers employ. Check out the different chest seams on Datone Jones (l) and cornerback Sam Shields (r):

Once again, we see the minor variations behind the uniform sense of the uniforms.

Auction Gold - Charley Brock's 1940s Leather Helmet

If you liked the clean gold shells the Packers were wearing yesterday, Heritage Auction has something special for you: a 1940s leather helmet worn by center Charley Brock.

Heritage Auctions

1940's Charley Brock Game Worn Green Bay Packers Leather Helmet.   An esteemed member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Charley Brock was also named as part of professional football's 1940's All-Decade Team, and was a key player of the offense on the Packers' 1939 championship squad.

Heritage Auctions

Offered here is Brock's yellow leather helmet from the 1940's, complete with his number "29" stenciled in green ink on the back and "Brock" noted in the interior.

Heritage Auctions

Exhibiting great wear throughout, it is one of only a handful of game-worn leather Packers shells ever sold at auction. "Rawlings" is branded in the front, while "Rawlings VMI [SIZE] 7 1/4" and the player's numeral is in the rear. Style-matched to a 1943 photo of teammate Don Hutson, with the notable four large airholes on top and rounded front piece, this is a superb artifact from the days of Curly Lambeau, Tony Canadeo, Hutson and the like. LOA from MEARS. LOA from Heritage Auctions. Guide Value or Estimate: $3,000 - up.

Brock was a center who played 90 games for the Packers from 1939-1947. He was selected out of Nebraska by the Packers with the 24th pick in the third round of the 1939 draft. In his rookie year, he played eight games for the squad on its way to the World Championship. He was one of eight players to pick off nine passes against the Lions on October 24, 1943, setting an NFL single-game mark. The record was tied in 1965 by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Steelers, a record which the teams share to this day. After missing the last half of the 1943 season due to appendicitis, he returned to play all ten games in 1944 on the way to his second (and the Packers' sixth) title.

In nine years with the Packers, he only missed seven games, all in either his rookie season or the illness-shortened 1943. Brock was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1973.

This photo shows Brock in front of Rockwood Lodge, the Packers' training camp facility from 1946 through 1949. He's wearing the same style helmet, perhaps even the same one.

You might remember that I profiled this same helmet a little over four years ago.

Leather Packer helmets are exceedingly rare. I'm only aware of a half-dozen in private collections.

This is your chance to join a select group of Packer fans. Bid early, bid often.

Still a Touch of Green with the Gold?

The Packers' website appears to be reporting that the Packers will wear their standard green facemasks with their throwback blue uniforms tomorrow:

The Green Bay Packers will wear the team’s third jersey, a re-creation of the historic 1929 uniform worn by the franchise’s first NFL championship team, during Sunday’s Packers-Cleveland game.

Due to new NFL helmet guidelines, the team this year will utilize its regular gold helmet without the logo and stripes. A similar helmet arrangement was used by the Packers during NFL “throwback” games in 1994 and 2001.

Although the NFL prohibits teams from wearing alternate helmets, there is no such rule requiring them to use the same facemasks in every game. We saw this in Week 2 when the Bears wore their throwbacks against Minnesota:

That's their regular navy helmet, stripped of its logo, but a throwback gray facemask.

The press release is mostly correct about past throwback helmets. In 1994, the Packers did indeed wear their regular green facemasks.

In 2001, however, they wore gray masks with their gold shells.

Personally, I'm hoping for the gray (or better yet, blue), but the team's graphic indicates we might see a replay of 1994.

Not All "G"s Are Created Equal

We've talked before about John Gordon, the St. Norbert art professor who in 1961 designed the Packers' "G" logo. Yesterday the Green Bay Press-Gazette had a little more information on his story.

Today's take: St. Norbert art prof lays claim to famed Packers 'G'

by Paul Srubas

Local artist and art teacher John Gordon was killing time in a bookstore a few years ago when he found himself idling through a book on the history of the Green Bay Packers.

John Gordon

He came upon an old photograph of the team’s Lombardi-era equipment manager, Gerald “Dad” Braisher, tinkering with a helmet. The photo caption explained how Braisher was responsible for creating the famed Packers “G” logo emblazoned on the sides of the team’s helmets since 1961.

“I looked at it, and I said, ‘I designed that,’” the 73-year-old Gordon told me last week.

The Packers, as you may have heard, have developed some mystique in their 90-some year history. They’re kind of like a boulder rolling down a mountainside, picking up debris and snow and getting bigger and bigger along the way, until pretty soon you have a million people attending one little Ice Bowl.

But in this case, even though Gordon can’t prove it, his claim smacks of legitimacy.

The Packers G, along with maybe the Nike swoosh, might be among the most recognized logos in sports history, but it’s not like Gordon is standing in front of the Mona Lisa and saying, “You know, a lot of people think Leonardo did this, but in fact …”

In the end, it’s just a squashed G inside an oval. Gordon, an adjunct professor of art at St. Norbert College and a man who counts Cezanne and Velazquez as major artistic influences, is a serious enough painter that an NFL logo would hardly serve as a needed feather in his helmet.

“My 15 minutes, wasted on an oval,” Gordon says with a smile.

But still, the record needs to be set straight.

As an art student at St. Norbert in the early 1960s, Gordon worked part time for Braisher. It wasn’t his artistic aspirations that got him the job; he spent a lot of his time rolling up jock straps, T-shirts and towels and putting them in the players’ lockers each day. Ars gratia artis.

But as a sideline, Gordon also painted portraits of the players and their families and even did a nice one of Braisher himself, which can be seen in a photograph now in the Neville Museum’s collection.

Braisher came to him one morning and assigned an artistic task: Draw a team logo, to go on the sides of the helmets.

Gordon doesn’t know if it was Braisher’s idea, or if it came directly from on high. He suspects the latter, because “Lombardi was a micro-manager,” Gordon says.

In those days, helmets — in college and the pros — didn’t have logos.

“It was remarkable that the idea itself came to be,” Gordon says.

Brimming with youthful enthusiasm, Gordon instantly wanted to embark on a creative brainstorming session, but Braisher cut him off at the knees: The logo shalt be a football shape, with a football-shaped G inside.

“I said, ‘C’mon, Dad, that’s boring,’” Gordon recalls.

No dice. Football shape. Football-shaped G inside. End of discussion.

Gordon set to it. He agonized. He worried about having the great and powerful Lombardi scrutinize his work. It’s also a lot harder than you think to free-hand draw a nice little tapered football-shaped G inside the matching taper of a football.

The next morning, he turned in his work.

Touchdown. Braisher and Lombardi gave it their blessing.

>

Gordon also remembers getting the finished silk-screen decals back from the printer, and working with Braisher to stick them on the helmets.

After that, Gordon put the whole episode out of his mind. It was no big deal, just another task that Braisher had assigned him. It wasn’t until 50 years later, that Gordon saw the photograph in the Packers history book attributing the design to Braisher that it dawned on him: “I designed that.”

Gordon has contacted historians at the Packers Hall of Fame to tell his story, and while no one has dismissed it out of hand, the Packers’ official web site continues to credit Braisher with creating the original design.

Elsewhere, some are beginning to acknowledge that Gordon at least helped.

Wikipedia admittedly isn’t the last word on the topic but relates the story as Gordon tells it: “Lombardi asked Packers equipment manager Gerald ‘Dad’ Braisher to design a logo for the team's helmets. Braisher then had his assistant, St. Norbert College art student John Gordon, come up with potential designs. After Braisher and Gordon were satisfied with the design, a football-shaped letter ‘G’, they presented it to Lombardi who then approved it.”

Epilogue: The logos you’ll see on the helmets during the game today are not as Gordon says he designed them. His was a simple line drawing of the letter G enclosed in a line drawing of a football. The colors were added later, at the printers.

Also, the design morphed over the years. Gordon remembers his original as being pointier on the ends, an actual football shape, but the logo grew into more of a straightforward oval. He thinks that happened in 1964, when the Georgia Bulldogs asked for and received Lombardi’s permission to use the same logo on their helmets. The Bulldogs’ ended up with a rounder shaped logo, and the Packers soon moved in that direction, too.

“I don’t like this,” Gordon says of the newer design. “It lacks the symbolism of the football shape.”

It's commonly reported that the University of Georgia first modified the logo to make it rounder, but I've never seen anything to support it. I'd like to hear more from him.

I agree with Gordon that the original shape is better.

The outline could be thickened a little, but the football shape is superior to my eye.

It's funny; we think of the Packers' logo and uniforms as having been frozen in place since Lombardi's era. In reality, the original designs have been chipped away, bit by bit, until real differences emerge. This is one element that could easily be reclaimed; let the universities have the rounded logo, and bring back Gordon's original design.

On You Blue and Gold to Glory, Again!

Green Bay Packers

Today the Packers announced that after a year's absence, they will be bringing back the 1929 uniforms for one game:

Packers donning throwback uniforms vs. Browns

The blue and gold is coming back to Lambeau Field.

After taking a break last season, the Green Bay Packers announced on Monday that they’ll bring back their 1929-inspired alternate uniforms during an Oct. 20 home game against the Cleveland Browns during the upcoming 2013 NFL season.

The Packers unveiled the third jersey during a 34-16 win over San Francisco on Dec. 5, 2010, and wore them again the following season during a 24-3 win over St. Louis before taking the 2012 season off.

The alternate jersey is based on the Packers’ 1929 jerseys, which were blue with the jersey number in a gold circle on the front. The modern version differs from the original model in that it uses a larger gold circle and also includes a full-sized number on the back along with the player’s last name, to conform with NFL uniform regulations

The alternate uniforms also feature tan pants and a solid brown helmet, representing the leather helmets that players of that era wore. The Packers won the first of their 13 NFL championships in 1929.

We knew that the throwbacks were in the NFL Style Guide last season, even after the shift from Reebok to Nike, but I hadn't heard any indication we'd see them again.

It's probably too much to hope that Nike will pair them with blue undershirts this time, but I do wonder if we'll see a new helmet treatment, utilizing the same leather-textured look that Nike and HGI whipped up for Washington last season.

Something to wonder about as the season approaches.

1983 Draft Room

ESPN just tweeted out this photo of the NFL's Draft Room in 1983:

A far cry from the Rockefeller Center event I attended a couple years ago.

I love the helmet graphics marking each team's table. There's the Packers' table at the bottom of the shot:

That appears to be a gray facemask on the Packers sign, although the team changed to green for the 1980 season.

Tony Canadeo's Leather Helmet

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will be hosting a special football exhibit starting later this year. Entitled "Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame ", the exhibit will feature highlights from the collection in Canton as well as historic items from their hometown Saints.

One of those items, of particular interest to Packer fans, is this leather helmet worn by Tony Canadeo in his rookie season.

We've seen a picture of this helmet in its Hall of Fame display case as part of our review of Charley Brock's leather helmet, but this is a much better look.

If you're going to be in New Orleans between January 25 and May 5, check it out.

A Very Wild (Card) Weekend

Yesterday the Packers took care of the Vikings to advance to the Divisional Round in the 2012 playoffs.

A very satisfying win over what may be our most heated rival, and even better there's lots of uniform-related stuff to talk about from the game, all of which may be found in this one gorgeous photo:

First of all, the Packers followed their now-standard practice and brought the captain's patches back for the postseason. Six seasons, and I still hate those.

The Packers also wore the Sandy Hook Elementary memorial decal on their helmets for the third straight week. Five of the eight playoff teams wore the decal; the Texans and Ravens removed it this week, and the Redskins never adopted it in the first place. Mike McCarthy was also wearing his matching pin:

Man, I wish the Packers would do something about those contrasting compression sleeves.

Several players, including fan-favorite John Kuhn, favored a bicycle-shorts style to their pants.

This will presumably change when the NFL mandates knee pads beginning next season.

Finally, Charles Woodson returned to the team wearing a new facemask:

Before going out with an injury in Week 7, Woodson wore a standard mask. See the inset photo from last season - this is the same style he was wearing when he broke his collarbone in St. Louis.

I don't know what the intended effect of the new mask is, although I doubt it would do much to protect his collarbone. Intimdation? His play on the field seems to take care of that enough.

Next up: San Francisco. The Packers will be in their road whites, and I for one can't wait to see them.

1983 Photo Gallery - Packers v. Cardinals

The Press-Gazette continues to open its amazing photo archives. In honor of the upcoming playoff game against Minnesota, they have brought us this gallery from the Lambeau Field playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals on January 8, 1983.

Green Bay Packers receiver James Lofton (80) prepares to high-five receiver John Jefferson (80) after scoring on a 20-yard pass during the second quarter against the St. Louis Cardinals in an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

I'm most struck by the customized sleeve stripes everyone seems to be wearing. They've cut the sleeves down so far that Lombardi's original double-Braisher stripe pattern has been reduced to the single version the Packers adopted in 1997.

St. Louis Cardinals running back Ottis Anderson (32) is tackled by Green Bay Packers safety Maurice Harvey (23) during an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. From left are Packers defensive end Mike Butler (77), linebacker George Cumby (52), defensive end Ezra Johnson (90) and linebacker John Anderson (59). Cardinals guard Terry Stieve (68) is on the ground at right. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

This was during the era of silkscreen numbers, as you can see in this photo. Slightly different number font as well, straight and not the hooked 5 they wear today. Sewn-on numbers wouldn't be brought back to the Packers' greens until 1995.

Green Bay Packers linebacker George Cumby (52) looks out onto the field during an NFC first-round playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. The Packers won 41-16. Press-Gazette archives

And, of course, we need at least one shot of head coach Bart Starr.

Green Bay Packers coach Bart Starr, right, talks with St. Louis Cardinals coach Jim Hanifan after the Packers' 41-16 victory in an NFC first-round playoff game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 8, 1983. Press-Gazette archives

I love that jacket patch, with its single-bar gray facemask. The Packers had moved to green masks two years earlier, but there's something fitting about the old field general wearing an old-school image on the sideline.

Check out the rest of the gallery here.

Remembering Sandy Hook, Cont'd.

The Packers wore the Sandy Hook Elementary commemorative decals for the second week in a row.

That includes the coaches' pins.

Remembering Sandy Hook

I didn't hear this one was coming. The Packers, along with the rest of the league, wore helmet decals remembering the victims of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut:

The decal is a simple black circle with the initials S.H.E.S in white, placed between the NFL shield logo and the Braisher stripes.

Coaches and other sideline personnel wore matching pins:

Uni Watch reports that thirty-one teams, all but the Redskins, joined the commemoration.

Evolution of the NFL Football Helmet

The NFL has posted a very interesting graphic, charting the evolution of the football helmet from Curly Lambeau to Wes Welker. Great to see three references to the Packers. You can't tell the history of the NFL without Green Bay.

I am a little disturbed to see the note about the Revolution helmet in the '00s. I know it makes us all feel better to talk about reducing concussions , but 1) we can't innovating our way out of the NFL's current health crisis, and 2) it's not about concussions. But perhaps that's a longer discussion for another time.