The Chargers' primary home uniforms this season will "incorporate their powder-blue jerseys," a look that has been a "fan and television favorite for years," according to Jeff Miller of the L.A. TIMES. The team "abandoned the color for roughly two decades before bringing it back in an alternate jersey" in '94 during the NFL's 75th anniversary season. The Chargers also will wear gold facemasks in '19 after being "believed to be the first NFL franchise to wear colored facemasks when they debuted them" in '74 (LATIMES.com, 4/16). Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos said that the franchise "intends to embrace the team's legacy, and the latest move to make the powder blue jerseys the team's primary uniform is further indication of that." Spanos said, "I've talked to our fans, and they love the uniforms and the colors. They love the lightning bolt. It's truly iconic. It's very special, and we have a great history" (ESPN.com, 4/16). Pro Football HOFer LaDainian Tomlinson, who played nine of his 11 years with the Chargers, said, "I love it. Most Chargers fans and guys that played for the Chargers, this was always our favorite jersey. We couldn't wait to play in this jersey" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 4/16).
GOT THE BLUES: In DC, Des Bieler wrote to some, the return of the "much-beloved and long-awaited powder blues appeared ... as a desperation move" by Chargers Chair Dean Spanos to "drum up some interest in and enthusiasm for the team." The powder blue uniforms "brought back memories for plenty of folks." However, for some of them, those "recollections were of an NFL fan base that spent years dealing with frustration before suddenly having to cope with the fact that it didn't have a team anymore, in any uniform color" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/16). NBCSN's Mike Florio notes the powder blues are "one of the all-time great uniforms" and that the move is "overdue." However, he said people in San Diego are upset because they "wanted powder blue jerseys as the default for years, and now they’ve moved to L.A., they brought back the powder blues" ("PFT," NBCSN, 4/17).
