The Browns for the next two years "will work closely with NFL marketing and Nike on an apparel makeover," according to Tony Grossi of ESPN CLEVELAND. The process is one which the franchise "has never undergone." Everything is "on the table to be discussed except for one thing." Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam III said, "I will say there will be no change to the helmet. But we will look at everything else." Grossi noted "minor changes, done without market research, would have resulted in a 12-month process overseen by NFL marketing." Haslam "thought the new uniforms would be ready for the 2014 season." But after "further consultation with the league, Haslam decided to go through the more extensive, 24-month process recommended by experts in the field of brand marketing." Haslam: "This allows you to change anything you want. That doesn’t mean we will. I want to be perfectly clear about that. We just want to get a lot of input from our fans and take our time with it. Because you can do it only every five years.” When the Browns were "reborn as an expansion franchise in 1999, the effort was made to connect it as closely as possible to the bedrock franchise made famous" by founding coach Paul Brown. Grossi: "At some point, I felt the NFL openly encouraged the Browns to change their uniform, ostensibly to spur stagnant sales of club merchandise." NFL CMO Mark Waller said, "Since I’ve been (with the NFL) we’ve never encouraged them. This has absolutely came out of the ownership and that’s their desire" (ESPNCLEVELAND.com, 3/25). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Paul Schwartz noted the Giants instead of their traditional grey pants "will wear white pants for select games in which they wear their blue jerseys." They will "not wear the new white pants with their white jerseys." The "last time" the Giants wore white pants was in '99 (NYPOST.com, 3/26).
