Divisional Round - End of the Line

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Yesterday, the Packers were eliminated by the 49ers in a blowout win at Candlestick Park. Not much in the way of uniform news from the game, other than the Packers wore the Sandy Hook Elementary memorial decal for the fourth and final time.

Interestingly, head coach Mike McCarthy wasn't wearing his S.H.E.S. pin.

The big uniform news for next season (so far) is the new rule requiring thigh and knee pads, meaning more players will look like Aaron Rodgers did yesterday:

I guess if I have to root for anybody left standing, it would have to be the 49ers. Not only is there somewhat less shame in losing to the eventual champion, but if Packers can't go all the way to New Orleans, at least the Braisher stripes can still be represented.

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.

1962 Training Camp Gallery - Pads

In a previous post, we saw this photograph of a player wearing a unique set of pads at training camp in 1962.

Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Oscar Donahue (89) goes through a drilll as training camp begins on the team's practice field across the street from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. Coach Vince Lombardi watches at right. Press-Gazette archives

From the front, the pads look like aprons.

Green Bay Packers halfback Tom Moore (25) is pursued by linebacker Dan Currie (58) and defensive end Bill Quinlan (83) during the team's first full scrimmage on the team's practice field across the street from new City Stadium on July 21, 1962.Press-Gazette archives

They appear to have been very common at Training Camp in '62.

Green Bay Packers center-linebacker Ken Iman (53) reaches out to tackle running back Paul Dudley (21) during a drill as training camp begins on the practice field across from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. Press-Gazette archives

We've seen other unique pads; these screencaps from other years show players wrapped in what appears to be multiple baseball catcher's chest protectors.

Safety first, gentlemen.

Take a Knee (Pad)

News from the NFL Owners' meeting that the league will mandate thigh and knee pads for all players, beginning with the 2013 season. The NFLPA is objecting to the rule being implemented outside of collective bargaining, but that seems overly political to me.

The thigh pads were very prominent in the mannequins at Nike's unveiling event, but I didn't think they'd actually require players to wear them.

The easy snark is that "knee pads will do soooo much to prevent concussions", but this seems to me to be consistent with the NFL's overall goals so far. There is no inconsistency in stressing player safety while exploring an 18-game season; in fact, the former is a prerequisite to the latter.

I do worry, though, that it's a step in the wrong direction. Adding body armor is what got the NFL into the situation it is now, and for years I've been arguing that the solution is to reduce padding, not increase it. Then again, I'm not terribly sympathetic to the union's concerns, considering how many former players are currently suing the league over the NFL's ignoring safety concerns, and how many current players continue to demonstrate their profound objections to the ongoing safety concerns.

At the very least, mandating knee pads will end the biker-shorts look that many receivers, notably Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, have been wearing in recent years:

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UPDATE 5/23/12:   Paul Lukas reminds me of this excellent article by Stephen Fatsis on the reasons behind players abandoning pads.