The NFL has been known to crack down on a thing or two. It’s kind of what they do. They see something wrong and they correct it or configure rules and regulations to rectify anywhere they went wrong. That certainly hasn’t been a stance that has ignored uniforms and player apparel.

For the most part, the NFL is a pretty expressive league. From players wearing colors in their dreadlocks to using visors, arm and wrist bands, braces and the like, players are able to accessorize themselves to a certain degree. It’s not like the NBA, though. NFL accessories must have a reason and they have to fit under the league’s guidelines.

But should they? Should the league really have such a stranglehold over how players can express themselves, who they can pay homage to and when, and when products, people or charities they can promote on the field?

The league’s players are their own best friend when it comes to promotion their brand, but when a player tries to use his own brand to promote something or someone else for a better cause than mere financial gain, that’s not something we should be trying to discourage.

But that’s what is happening in pro football.

Years ago when Peyton Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts, he tried to pay homage to the late, great Johnny Unitas by wearing a pair of old school football cleats. The NFL said no.

In 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was fined for wearing the label “Ironhead” on his eye black as a tribute to his late father, former NFL running back, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

And just this season, Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, a public supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness, asked the league if he could wear “Find a Cure” on his eye black. Just like the NFL told Heyward no, so too, did they to Williams.

All good causes, all met with the strict guidelines of the league.

Players have been fined for the color or fashion of their cleats and other players tanking stands for or against off the field issues have been fined for doing so.

There is a fine line being created here, one where the league wants order and conformity, or it doesn’t want any attention that it’s not getting a piece of the action of. Digging deep into the semantics of rules and regulations isn’t our goal. Nor is questioning the NFL’s system as a whole. However, it’s worth wondering whether or not there can be special exemptions built into these rules – which by the way, are too harsh – so that players can show their support in the right way.

Should players be able to wear whatever they want whenever they want on the field? No, I’m not sure they should. But it’s not like we’re talking about custom football uniforms to the extreme, where players are covering the league or team logo or putting advertisements on their jerseys. No one is arguing for that, as it would open to the door to players wearing non-football materials, getting paid for branding or promoting questionable products, events or organizations.

But when we’re talking about paying respects, supporting a worthwhile cause and/or expressing one’s personality to the point where it’s helping far more than it’s hurting, it’s probably something to consider. After all, the NFL has long been a league that is high on getting more money and more viewers any way they can. Don’t you think making the game a little more colorful and a little more selfless would go a long way in accomplishing that? Let us know your take in the comments below.

Thursday Night Football is about to get a lot more…colorful? That’s right, folks, the NFL is pushing hard to amp up the excitement of their brand and they’re using the stage of nationally televised pro football games to do it. Thanks to the league’s deal ahead of the 2015 NFL season to assign TNF games to NFL Network and CBS, the game in the middle of the week that pretty much no one cared about is now seen more than ever. And to do so they’re having the teams playing on TNF for the next few weeks wearing special, custom NFL jerseys.

While the games themselves on Thursday can often be eye sores, whether they’re ugly, low-scoring defensive battles or mind-altering blowouts (see last night’s Patriots over Dolphins debacle), this custom football uniforms push definitely has our interest.

Okay, so we like football uniforms. You get it. But beyond our interest in them, they actually sound like all kinds of awesome.

That is, unless you’re not a fan of a lot of color or football color-on-color schemes. This writer personally is, as there’s nothing better than a bold colored jersey over a bold colored pair of pants. It just works, baby!

The possibilities would normally be endless, but we already know precisely what teams will be donning these Color Rush uniforms. Check out the Thursday Night Football schedule below and get excited. Oh, and tell us in the comments below what you think the uniforms will look like for the team of your choosing:

Nov. 12: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Nov. 19: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Nov. 26: Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys

Dec. 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams

If you think some of the NFL uniforms you see now are sweet, you have no idea. The folks over at Bleacher Report took some time recently to merge cool NBA uniforms and NFL uniforms to create, quite arguably, the slickest custom football uniforms we have ever seen. (That’s saying a lot because at Uniform Store we have designed some awesome uniforms ourselves.)

Not only are the football uniforms they came up with probably better than the current ones their respective NFL teams don, but they just might be the coolest uniforms we’ve ever seen.

They don’t exist, of course, but we love them and thought we’d share them with you. The entire photo list in all of its awesomeness can be seen here, but we thought we’d go the extra mile and rank them, too. There are 22 in all, which combine NFL teams with their city or state’s NBA brethren. The results are amazing, and these are the five we came away liking the most:

Cleveland Cavaliers + Cleveland Browns

Maybe its because just about anything beats what the Browns have been rolling out there, you know, ALWAYS. But these NBA uniforms are all kinds of sweet. The color on color scheme is always fun, but the design makes this work, as the Cavaliers logo can be seen as a tip of the hat to the Browns’ pro basketball counterpart, or it could also still represent the city of Cleveland. From the long sword down the side of the jersey and pants, to the sharp C’s on the shoulders, to the killer gold helmet with the “C” logo, this Browns uniform blows any other rendition out of the park. The only thing that would make it better is if LeBron James was wearing it and playing tight end next Sunday. We can dream.

Golden State Warriors + Oakland Raiders

This is another cool one because it doesn’t have to necessarily pertain to just the Warriors. This would be a sweet alternate jersey to pay homage to Golden State, while the blue on gold color scheme works beautifully. It’s even better than any Warriors uniforms we’ve seen, as the logo is very retro on the helmet and fits in nicely on the jersey, as well. More importantly, this jersey is cool without looking like it’s trying too hard to be modern. It even has an old fashioned feel to it, which rounds it out and makes it one of the best NFL mashup jerseys in the list.

Milwaukee Bucks + Green Bay Packers

Perhaps I am fond of this jersey for two reasons: I’m from Wisconsin and the Packers have had the same look for what seems like forever. Green Bay’s “G” logo is a tad stale and they could probably consider working together a more interesting alternate. Taking on the look of their Milwaukee brothers wouldn’t be a bad idea, as the deer antler logo on the helmet still applies to the state of Wisconsin (there really are a ton of deer there), while the green and red combo works together nicely. It doesn’t scream “Packers” to you, but in the name of alternate football uniforms, maybe that’s a good thing.

New York Knicks + New York Giants

The Giants are another team with a tired logo and a color scheme that has lost some luster. It’s arguable if it ever had any, too, while the “logo” is just the letters N and Y. So, switching it up so a weird orange and blue uniform could really go a long way to spice things up in the Big Apple. Going full knickerbockers may not be totally ideal, but this all orange jersey actually looks fantastic, while the helmet is a cool blue with the Knicks logo piecing it all together. I love the helmet and the blue/orange, but this would be even better if they ditched the Knicks logo and kept it more basic with something more specific to New York. Still, this one is the right amount of edgy and all kinds of cool and deserves to be in this list.

Indiana Pacers + Indianapolis Colts

I know the Colts haven’t looked very good in 2015, but perhaps Indy fans would forgive them if they wore uniforms like we see in the link above. The Pacers logo looks infinitely better in these NFL uniforms, while the blue, yellow and white really makes the whole thing pop. It looks a little like the California uniform at the college football level, but I’m okay with a little resemblance. If anything, a small amount of familiarity makes it more accessible.

Okay, so we didn’t “rank” them, but can you blame us? For one, even narrowing it down to a list of five was a bit of a beating. We definitely left a few out that we liked a lot, and ranking these five killer NBA/NFL uniforms just isn’t happening. Got the ranking figured out or think we left a good one out of the top 5? Tell us in the comments below!

*photo credit – dailysnark.com

Prepare to be surprised. Not insanely surprised, but surprised, nonetheless. NFLShop.com tracks their top NFL jersey sales and last week we all saw that Tom Brady leads the way at the quarterback position and overall. Not shocking. Rob Gronkowski leads the way for the tight end position when it comes to jersey sales. Also, not shocking.

But that’s not what we found surprising about the top tight end jerseys this past week. Gronk makes total sense as #1. He’s the best tight end in the league playing for what looks to still be the best team in the league. Jimmy Graham making the list isn’t surprising either. Graham not being in second place, however, is somewhat surprising. And that’s not the only shocker. Check out the top 5 tight end lineup in regards to NFL jerseys sold through the first two weeks of NFL games:

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Jason Witten

3. Jimmy Graham

4. Vernon Davis

5. Heath Miller

Witten at 2? Davis and Miller even being on this list? That’s where the jaws start-a-droppin’. Why? For one, Graham is the second best tight end in the league. Him getting traded to the Seattle Seahawks was YUGE news and we’re sure a plethora of custom football uniforms were born from that trade even before you could buy the official Jimmy Graham Seahawks jersey.

Witten is a mild draw and plays for one of the most beloved teams in the nation in the Dallas Cowboys, but come on. He’s no longer even a top-5 player at the position. And even if you do make a convincing case to keep him in the top-three – let alone above Graham – how do you explain a regressing Davis and the plodding Miller?

Those three guys having their jerseys sold as they have means rising stars like Travis Kelce and Tyler Eifert got totally hosed when it comes to their fans expressing their loyalty. Others that are definitely deserving are Chicago’s Martellus Bennett, Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz, Detroit’s Eric Ebron, Miami’s Jordan Cameron, Jacksonville’s Julius Thomas, Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph and Washington’s Jordan Reed – among others.

Either we’ll soon start seeing some of those guys pop up the ranks in the coming weeks, or they’re just not as popular as we all thought. Who do you think is the biggest surprise on the list – or off of it? Let us know in the comments!

If there was any doubt that Tom Brady still pulled some serious weight in the NFL at age 37, it’s now a thing of the past. Brady has the highest selling NFL jersey through the league’s first few weeks according to NFLShop.com, and it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

On top of all the New England Patriots fans wanting a brand new Tom Brady jersey, there are sure to be numerous fans latching on the bandwagon thanks to the Pats winning the Super Bowl last year. That, and Tom Brady’s current ridiculous run through the first three games naturally makes him one of the more talked about figures in one of the most popular sports in the world.

Record Pace?

Brady hasn’t just been good or solid, either. He’s been flat out elite. His early tear he’s been on (9 touchdowns to zero interceptions) has Patriots and normal NFL fans alike thinking back to his crazy 2007 run where he tossed 50 touchdowns and New England went undefeated during the regular season. No one is predicting Brady will throw 50 scores again or the Pats will run the table, but there is at least no denying that Brady still is a huge figure in the landscape of pro football. His jersey sales say so.

Of course, as awesome as Brady is and as much of a hit as Tom Brady’s #12 jerseys are, he’s not the only NFL player who is seeing their jersey fly off the rack (or the internet).

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

Brady is the top overall player and quarterback, but Aaron Rodgers, Marcus Mariota, Russell Wilson and the now-injured Tony Romo round out the top-five at the quarterback position. At running back? None other than Aussie, Jarryd Hayne.

No, that’s not a misprint or some crazy fan’s personal take on custom football uniforms. That’s actually 49ers running back and special team, Jarryd Hayne. He’s a bruising runner and former rugby star who impressed during preseason play and ended up making the team. Naturally, every rugby fan and Australia native probably went online and purchased his Niners jersey right after they found out he made the final roster.

The names aren’t crazy from there, as NFL stars like J.J. Watt, Julio Jones and Rob Gronkowski dominate headlines – and jersey sales. It will be interesting to track how NFL jersey sales trend throughout the year, but for now it looks like fans have it right: Brady is one of the best players in the league, and it makes a good amount of sense that he has the most popular NFL apparel.

Think someone else should be the top NFL uniform seller? Tell us in the comments below!

The final slate of 2015 NFL preseason games are here, and it’s just a matter of one full week until the games that count arrive. For now, Thursday night’s schedule of 16 NFL preseason games will do just fine, as it’s still pro football hitting our television screens. There’s even reason to tune in, as various players are still trying to win spots as teams finalize their rosters.

There’s also going to be a lot of guys you never heard of and some ugly football. Let’s sort through the madness and point out the five key things to watch for tonight:

Tebow Time

Tim Tebow could be getting his last real shot at earning an NFL job tonight, as he’s expected to play a good amount for the Eagles in their preseason finale. Tebow looked OK in his debut, but has really regressed as a passer over his last two games. If he can’t make a real impact in tonight’s game, it’s very possible we’ve seen the last of Tebowmania.

Zach Zenner Show

The undrafted Zenner has been one of the top rushers throughout preseason, as he’s averaged 6.5 yards per carry and has looked like a true feature back. He’s done most of his damage against second and third string defenses, but he has a first team skill-set and probably shouldn’t get cut loose. The Lions have three quality running backs ahead of him on the depth chart, however, and may not be able to keep him. Look for him to beast out in his last chance to earn a spot, as one way or another this guy is destined to play at the highest level.

Running Backs Fighting For Jobs

Zenner isn’t the only running back battling for a roster spot, and some of the names are pretty big. Christine Michael, Montee Ball and Chris Johnson are three pretty big names fighting for their lives in tonight’s finale, and all could get cut if they don’t impress.

Janis Seeks Trust

Green Bay Packers quarterback supposedly doesn’t have total trust in second-year size/speed freak Jeff Janis, who on the surface looks like the perfect candidate to replace the injured Jordy Nelson. Janis has exhibited fantastic speed and play-making ability, but has mental lapses that cloud his upside in what still figures to be a potent offense. It’s unlikely he corrects all of his mistakes tonight, but finishing the preseason with a strong showing surely can’t hurt his case.

Future Starting Quarterbacks

With star players and starting quarterbacks in general not seeing much (if any) time on the field tonight, we can expect to get long looks at some young passers. Guys like Brock Osweiler, Bryce Petty, Brett Hundley, Chase Daniel, Ryan Nassib and so many more (the entire league is active tonight, after all) should have plenty of opportunities to impress. Few have a real shot at playing time this year, but we could be seeing the next generation of starters in some respects.

Got something even better to watch in tonight’s NFL preseason action? Tell us in the comments below!

*photo credit – Baltimoresun.com

The NFL is rapidly approaching regular season football, but for the next two weeks, week three of preseason action is as close as we’ll get to it. NFL teams are set to prepare for week one with their regular season dress rehearsal games this week, where fans can expect to see most of the star players for their favorite team take the field for the longest amount of time.

Three games go down on Friday night and there could be plenty to watch for. Let’s break down the top reasons to tune in:

Jimmy Garoppolo or Tom Brady?

Tom Brady’s legal woes continue on, so for the moment he’s still suspended for the first four games of 2015. With that probably not changing, the Patriots would be smart to let Jimmy Garoppolo either start this game or play the final three quarters. It will be interesting to see what Bill Belichick and co. decide, as well as how Jimmy G performs, in general.

Devin Funchess’ Role

With Kelvin Benjamin lost for the season due to a torn ACL, a lot of pressure falls on Panthers rookie receiver Devin Funchess. And he’s only appeared in one preseason game. It’s crucial for Funchess’ development and the passing offense in general that he hits the field for week three and performs well. Funchess absolutely has the size and athleticism to develop into a red-zone menace in his first season, but he’s still a little raw. How quickly he can progress will be key for Cam Newton and Carolina’s offense.

Marcus Mariota’s Progress

Mariota turned the ball over twice in his pro debut and then kept things very clean last week. In week three we should see him play at least a full half as he gears up for his official debut in week one of the regular season. Mariota might be an inconsistent performer as a rook, but how he does on Friday could shed some light on what kind of offense the Titans will be rolling with.

David Cobb vs. Bishop Sankey

If the Titans want Mariota to do well in year one, they’re going to want to establish the run. Whether that’s with Cobb or Sankey (or a mix of both) has yet to be determined. Sankey is weak when it comes to fundamentals, but on paper is a plus athlete and actually ran quite well in Tennessee’s second preseason game. Cobb wasn’t as good last week, but blew Sankey out of the water in week one. How both do on Friday night could decide who starts the season with the bigger workload.

T.J. Yeldon’s Debut

Yeldon was drafted to be Jacksonville’s savior at running back, yet a finger injury has kept him from playing in any preseason action. Yeldo has feature back written all over him and should make his pro debut on Friday night. How he fares could go a long way in telling us whether or not he’s going to be handed the keys to the backfield right away as a rookie.

More Ameer Abdullah, Please

Abdullah is a freak athlete and he showed that in his preseason debut. He hit the field for a very brief amount of time in game two, however, so two things will be interesting in game three: his exact role and how much the Lions showcase him. Joique Bell is tentatively still expected to hold onto the starting running back job in Detroit, but health and age have caught up with him. Will we see the passing of the torch on Friday night? Perhaps. Also, be sure to check out undrafted rookie Zach Zenner, who has pieced two awesome games together. He could still not even make the team, but how much he plays (if at all) with the first team unit will be fun to track.

Got something better to note in these Friday night NFL preseason games? Let us know in the comments below!

The first full week of the 2015 NFL preseason is officially in the books, which means two things: we’re one step closer to the games that actually matter and we can now digest the mess we just saw get strewn across our television sets over the past several days.

Preseason games don’t matter and most everything that takes place in them needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but we can still learn from them. Let’s break down the key notes from the past week and see what we learned as we head into another week of preseason action:

Rough Rookie Debuts?

Both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were extremely high profile rookie debuts, and both were mixed bags after extensive action. Mariota was a mess to get his first game going, as he fumbled a ball that was returned for a touchdown and also tossed a pick. He seemed to settle down from there, though, and looked pretty good for most of his game for the Titans. Of the two, he displayed much better control and accuracy and looked far more comfortable in the pocket.

Winston was just bad for most of the game, as he had happy feet and seemed indecisive a good amount of the time. That led to a shaky 9-19 outing, although he did have a nice touchdown run and had another big pass to Vincent Jackson that displayed his arm strength and willingness to go down the field. Winston has a lot of work to do when it comes to his pocket presence and decision-making, but it wasn’t all bad in his debut. Mariots wins week one, but both rookie passers showed enough to think they could enjoy terrific week two’s and still be solid first year quarterbacks.

Quarterback Battles

The two biggest battles lie in Buffalo and Houston. The Bills have a three-way attack with Matt Cassel leading the way over Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel, while the Texans have Brian Hoyer going up against Ryan Mallett. Hoyer only played briefly but hit on a 58-yard touchdown and looks like a lock to win that battle. Cassel is very much in the lead for the Bills, but he offers no pop on offense. Taylor displayed nice mobility and gives Buffalo’s offense some upside. He should start week two and could be a real threat to Cassel. Manuel hasn’t impressed and probably isn’t a serious threat to Cassel or Taylor right now.

Ameer is the Man

Joique Bell continues to work his way back from knee and leg issues, while rookie sensation Ameer Abdullah quickly showed us all precisely why he’s a rookie sensation. Abdullah had been garnering rave reviews all summer, but he put on a show right away in his first preseason game, as he busted off a 45-yard run and finished his pro debut with 67 yards off of seven totes. Abdullah has some Barry Sanders to his game and is looking more and more like the team’s top back. That’s bad news for the rest of the NFC North, if we weren’t being clear enough.

Johnny Manziel is Improving

Johnny Football produced a nice 12-yard touchdown scamper and looked fairly poised and in control in his first preseason game. He was just 7-11 and didn’t spring any big plays, but two important things need to be taken from this game: his comfort level within the offense and the playbook are light years head of where he was at as a rookie and he was playing with backups. He could have been better, but he showed serious signs of growth and should only get better as preseason moves forward. That doesn’t mean he’s about to challenge starting quarterback Josh McCown, however, as McCown went 5-5 and looked to be in complete control of the starting gig.

Tebowmania is Alive and Well

We finally got to see Tim Tebow in his debut with the Eagles, as he played much of the second half with and against scrub players. He actually did very well on his first drive, going 4-5 and leading the Eagles to a field goal. Tebow showed a slightly more compact release and on that first drive resembled a passable quarterback. He regressed from there, unfortunately, as he took too many sacks and simply held onto the ball too long. He did add a nice rushing score late on an option play, but he’ll need to show more signs of progress to beat out Matt Barkley for the third string gig.

Jimmy Garoppolo Needs Work

Tom Brady’s four-game ban stands at the moment and that leaves the Pats with second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to begin the 2015 NFL season. Early signs suggest that might not go so well. Garoppolo ended up piecing things together more in the second half as far as getting the ball out cleanly and completing passes, but he couldn’t get anything going down the field, tossed a pick and took far too many sacks. He flashed some ability and was working with spare talent, but Garoppolo needs to be much better if New England is going to feel remotely good about starting him come week one.

Got something big we missed? Hit us up in the comments below!