Titans' new jersey font is reportedly meant to invoke a chiseled-in-stone Greek lookTITANS
The Titans revealed their "long-awaited new uniforms during a packed street party" last night in downtown Nashville, according to Jason Wolf of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. The event, featuring a "free Florida Georgia Line concert and fireworks, drew as many as 20,000 spectators." The familiar “two-tone blue” color scheme and "fireball logo remain the primary calling cards for the franchise," while major changes were "made to the helmet, jersey font and shoulders." The helmet color has "shifted to a metallic navy after decades of the team wearing white." The facemask has "changed to silver, as has the outline of the fireball logo." A stripe, which is "inspired by the sword, also incorporates silver and begins in the rear of the helmet and tapers toward the front." The Titans will "wear navy jerseys at home and white on the road." The jersey font is meant to "invoke a chiseled-in-stone Greek look and includes a notch jutting from the top right of each number" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 4/5). The AP's Teresa Walker wrote the new look "wound up more of an update featuring some subtle changes." The "biggest switch comes with the helmet." For the jersey, the "change comes on the shoulders with a two-toned silver mimicking the sword in the team logo along with a new light blue insert under each arm." There is also a "two-tone silver stripe on the outside of the pants" (AP, 4/4). The process of changing the Titans’ uniforms "began when team ownership reached out to the NFL" in early '14. The Titans "must maintain this look for a minimum of five years, per NFL rule." All involved were "pleased with the results." Nike Senior Product Dir Kelly Morris said, "This is one of the best ones we’ve done. It’s a new look, it’s modern, it’s got a great aesthetic" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 4/5).
A NEW ERA: ESPN.com's Cameron Wolfe noted the new uniforms arrive as the team "celebrates its 20th season" in Nashville and signal the Titans "taking another step toward making themselves a brand separate from their predecessors, the Houston Oilers." Titans Controlling Owner Amy Adams Strunk figured the new uniform numbers would get the "most widespread reaction from the fan base because the edges are pointed and far different than numbers on other NFL uniforms." The Titans "wanted Tennessee state pride to be a big part of the uniform design." Nike said that the new uniform is 29% "lighter in weight than the previous uniform, with a focus on it being more comfortable and cooler for the players" (ESPN.com, 4/4).
TIME TO OPINE: YAHOO SPORTS' Frank Schwab wrote the uniforms are a "pretty sharp look." Schwab: "While it’s not the most drastic uniform change, the new helmet look makes the kit as a whole look a lot different" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/4). ESPN.com's Paul Lukas noted the uniforms "lean heavily on sword-based imagery." A good football uniform "always starts with a good helmet, and the Titans have made significant strides on that front." However, the jerseys "could be better, and the sword motif is overplayed." Lukas: "Final grade: B" (ESPN.com, 4/3). NBCSN's Chris Simms said, "I've never been a fan of the Tennessee Titans uniform. I do think this looks a little bit better, more streamlined. I like that the helmet went to that color. It's a little different look altogether and I'm for the new age teams changing up their uniforms." He added, "I like it, the new edginess to that type of uniform" ("PFT," NBCSN, 4/5). In Nashville, Colton Pouncy notes a lot of Titans fans in attendance last night thought the team "improved upon its old uniforms." And while fans in attendance "seemed to enjoy the new uniforms and the event, there was more of a mixed reaction on social media" (TENNESSEAN.com, 4/4). Meanwhile, in Nashville, Joe Rexrode in a front-page piece writes the fact the fans cared so much about the unveiling is why the media covered it "like it was a playoff game." The event was an "example of the Titans getting creative to market and sell themselves." It was "actually a fun and good idea" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 4/5).
