Cool Custom Prototypes

I’ve been following this seller on eBay for a long time. I’ve even purchased helmets from the seller. He make great custom pocket helmets. His ebay handle is TravisTomMark.

The white helmets were made by TravisTomMark. They show alternate logos and facemasks. I particularly like the Lions and old Ravens logo with the gold facemask. Well done!

For clarification, some prototypes are a design a team seriously considered using, but never did. Other prototypes are fun helmets collectors make on their own. Underneath the white prototypes are some photos of prototypes I have made and are in my collection.

Custom Houston Texans throwback concept pocket pro football helmet - Picture 1 of 2

Custom Los Angeles Rams throwback concept pocket pro football helmet - Picture 1 of 2

A new collectable

Riddell introduced a new collectable helmet titled the “midi.” At 7.5 inches, it’s in between a mini and a full size helmet. Riddell generally makes five types of collectables. There are varying alternates and throwbacks in all the styles.

Full size – about 11 inches
Midi (new) – about 7.5 inches
Mini – about 5.5 inches
Helmet of Players – about 4 inches
Pocket – about 2 inches
Trackers – about 1.5 inches

Some may wonder: what was the helmet of players? The helmet of players was a large helmet that included tiny figures, kind of like army men. They were made in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I guess. They had the same packaging as pocket helmets from the time. I purchased a KC Chiefs one and would like to collect all the teams. They go for about $25 each on eBay, so I will likely stick with my one Chiefs helmet 🙂

NEW Green Bay Packers Riddell Mini Helmet of Players NOS

Helmets not manufactured by Riddell

Another type of helmet is, of course, the classic gumball collectable helmet. However, Riddell does not manufacture gumball helmets. These came in a variety of types.

There’s also a helmet I see a lot of called the “Mighty Mini.” These helmets look a lot like pocket helmets, but are more squat and have the team name on the front (Pocket helmets are usually blank or have the Riddell logo on the front). I speculate these were made in the late 90s through the mid 2000s. I have no idea who manufactured them, however. Maybe it was Riddell?

NFL Plastic MIGHTY Mini Helmets Lot Of 9 - San Francisco, Buffalo, Kansas City.. - Picture 1 of 8

What happened to NFL teams that won 15+ games in a season?

Nine teams have won 15 or more games in a season. It happened twice this year: the Chiefs and the Lions.

What does history say about the other seven teams?

7/7 made it to the playoffs.
6/7 made it to the conference championship game.
4/7 made it to the super bowl.
2/7 won the super bowl.

The teams

All of the teams except the 2007 Patriots, 2024 Chiefs, and 2024 Lions were 15-1.

2024 Chiefs: Made the playoffs.
2024 Lions: Made the playoffs.
2015 Panthers: Lost the Super Bowl to the Broncos.
2007 Patriots: Lost the Super Bowl to the Giants.
2011 Packers: Lost in the divisional round to the Giants (who later beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl).
2004 Steelers: Lost in the AFC championship to the Patriots.
1998 Vikings: Lost in the NFC championship to the Falcons.
1985 Bears: Won the Super Bowl.
1984 49ers: Won the Super Bowl.

Which team was the best?

For my money, that 1985 Bears team is the best in the super bowl era. The best on the list to not win a super bowl was probably the 2007 Patriots. But man o man, that 98 Vikings team was pretty much unstoppable.

Who has the better shot in 2024: the Chiefs or the Lions?

If history is any guides, the Chiefs likely won’t make the super bowl or lose in it. . A threepeat has never happend and is incredibly difficult. They’ll likely have to go through the Bills and Ravens, two teams coming off very strong campaigns. Finally, the Chiefs don’t dominate teams the way the other 8 teams on the list do. Several of their wins were fluky

Still, experience matters. And Mahomes can never be counted out. And Steve Spagnolo’s defense is very strong. You know the old saying about defense…

The Lions have a better shot as they will likely have an easier path. The Lions have dominated teams this year. America is rooting for a Lions – Bills super bowl, which would be amazing. We’ll see…

The greatest franchises in the Super Bowl era

Reasonable fans can agree. The top franchises since 1966 are teams like the Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers. The debate gets interesting in the next tiers.

A data nerd, I thought I would quantify it with five criteria:

Regular season winning percent – 20%
Playoff appearances – 5%
Playoff winning percent – 10%
Super bowl appearances / conference championships – 20%
Super bowl championships – 45%

I adjusted the scores based on the number of eligible years. Most teams have existed for 58 seasons in the Super Bowl era (not including 2024). However, the Ravens (27), Seahawks and Buccaneers (47), Panthers and Jaguars (28), and Texans (21) have played fewer seasons. So I had to weight the data. While the Bucs have 2 super bowl championships, it would be unfair to compare them to the Ravens (who also have 2) as the Bucs have had more opportunities.

The data is up to the 2023 season. I will update my rankings after the 2024 super bowl.

Overall Rankings

With a high weight placed on super bowls, it’s no surprise the Patriots come out as the top franchise in the super bowl era. The Steelers are consistently good year after year. They have had four coaches in the super bowl era. The Cowboys and 49ers rankings should also not be surprising.

Stories

Some might be surprised by the Ravens strong showing as the 5th best franchise. But they’ve had a strong run for 27 years.
This is a somewhat obscure fact. The Vikings have the 4th best regular season winning percentage in the super bowl era (the last 58 years). Yes, you read that right. Only the Cowboys, Steelers, and Ravens have performed better in the regular season over the last 58 years. The Vikings rank 17th as a francishe due to their lack of postseason success.
The Vikings and the Bills are the highest ranked franchises to not win a super bowl, coming in a 17 and 18 in the overall rankings. While they are both 0-4 in the super bowl, the Vikings have a much stronger and consistent regular season record of success.
The Giants are the opposite of the Vikings. The Giants rank 21st in regular season winning percentage. In fact, it’s below .500. However, the Giants have had remarkable postseason success. This capapults them to 9th in the rankings.

Tiers

Tier 1: Elite Franchises: 30-26 score.

The Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys and 49ers emerge as the elite franchises. These teams have a consistent record of regular season success and postseason achievements.

The 49ers score is closer to tier 2 than tier 1. I made a judgment call for tier 1 because the 49ers have been in so many NFC championship games. My data does not capture that (although it does cover playoff winning percentage).

Tier 2: Great Franchises: 26-23 score.

The Ravens, Packers, Chiefs, and Broncos are in tier 2. These teams might have some off years, but they are contenders pretty much every year. The Broncos are tied with the Steelers and Cowboys for the 2nd most super bowl appearances (8).

The Chiefs have catapulted to a tier 2 franchise in the Mahomes era. If they get more super bowl appearances and wins under Mahomes, they could catapult to tier 1.

Tier 3: Great Franchises: 22-19 score.

Eight teams make teir 3: the Giants, Raiders, Commanders, Rams, Dolphins, Colts, Eagles, Seahawks, and Vikings. These are usually solid teams who occasionally make the playoffs. Except for the Giants, they all have positive regular season winning percentages. They all have a super bowl win, except for the Vikings.

Tier 4: Middle of the Pack: 18-17 score.

The Bills, Bucs, Panthers and Bears fall in the middle of the pack. The only reason the Bucs fall in this category and not a lower one is their two super bowl wins. Their history is one of balaned win-loss records or years of mediocrity with periodic successful spikes (like the Bills latest run).

Tier 5: Below Average: 16-15 score.

The Saints, Chargers, Jets, Bengals, and Titans/Oilers are in tier 5. They have generally struggled or been consistently mediocre, despite the Bengals three super bowl appearances.

The Chargers and Titans/Oilers kind of stand out in this group. I always feel like these teams can be dangerous and competititve at any moment. The Bengals as of the last few years as well.

Tier 6: Poor: 14 score

The Jaguars, Falcons, and Texans. I really can’t say more.

Tier 7: Bottom Tier: 13 and below score.

These three teams – the Browns, Lions and Cardinals – are known for their lack of success. I’m not telling the fans something they don’t already know.

However, I have always found these teams likeable and root for them. Their fans are incredible and continue to support them. Maybe this will be the year Lions break out?

Divisions

Not surprisingly, the NFC east is the best, led by the Cowboys, Commanders and Giants. The Eagles have also been successful. They are the 15th highest ranked franchise, but lowest in the NFC east.

The AFC west is led by the Chiefs and Broncos with 14 super bowl appearances between them and the 9th and 10th best regular season winning records overall. The Raiders were successful for a long time, particularly in the 60s through the 80s.

The AFC west is led by the Patriots and Dolphins, who were always competitive in the Don Shula era.

The Steelers and Ravens clearly stand out in the AFC north, as do the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks in the NFC west. I was a little surprised by the low NFC north rankings, but the Lions and Bears bring down the average. At 19th overall, the Bucs are the highest ranked team in the NFC south (lower than the lowest NFC east team, the Eagles). The AFC south is led by the Colts, the only divisional team to win a superbowl.

NFC east – 22.6
AFC west – 21.1
AFC east – 20.6
AFC north – 20.4
NFC west – 19.8
NFC north – 18.7
NFC south – 16.4
AFC south – 16.1

More Pocket Helmet Drops!

Riddell just posted there will be 25 (!) drops in 2025. No information on whether the drops will be NFL or college. Of if they will be released individually or in sets. Riddell noted the helmets will be more limited. Instead of 2000, only 525 will be manufactured.

While I am excited Riddell is making these, the prospect of purchasing 25 indiviual helmets over the course of an entire year can get expensive. 25 * $15 for each helmet is $375. Part of being a collector, I suppose 🙂

Assuming these are NFL helmets, what can we expect? The first thing Riddell could do is release contemporary alternates. Helmets that have not been manufactured by Riddell are below. Helmets that have been manufactured are on my speed style site. As you can tell, there are more than enough for 25 helmets.

If would be cool if some were released as sets, like Riddell used to do in the old days. For example, the three Broncos alternate helmets plus the 1966 Broncos throwback?

Arizona Cardinals 2023-present alternate – black
Arizona Cardinals 2016 alternate – white
Atlanta Falcons 2016-21 alternate – black
Cleveland Browns 2022-present alternate – white
Denver Broncos 2016-23 alternate – midnight blue
Denver Broncos 2023 alternate – white
Denver Broncos 2024-present alternate – white
Detroit Lions 2003-10 alternate – plain silver, black facemask
Detroit Lions 2023 alternate – honolulu blue
Green Bay Packers 1994, 2013-19 alternate – plain yellow
Green Bay Packers 2010-11, 2022 alternate – plain brown
Houston Texans 2022-2023 alternate – battle red
Houston Texans 2024-present alternate – steel blue
Houston Texans 2024-present alternate – battle red
Indianapolis Colts 2023-present alternate – black
Jacksonville Jaguars 2024-present alternate – white
LA Chargers 2016-19 alternate – White helmet, yellow bolt with dark blue outline, yellow facemask
LA Chargers 2020 – present alternate – White helmet, yellow bolt with light blue and dark blue outline, yellow facemask
LA Chargers 2020 – present alternate – White helmet, yellow bolt with light blue outline, player # on helmet, yellow facemask
Minnesota Vikings 2024-present alternate – white
NY Jets 2016-18 alternate – white
NY Jets 2015, 2017-18 “color rush” alternate – white
NY Jets 2022-23 alternate – black
NY Jets 2024-present alternate – black
Philadelphia Eagles 2022-present alternate – black
Washington Commanders 2022-present alternate – black

Of course, Riddell could go further back in history and made some other alternates, maybe in traditional or revolution styles. Some fun ones could include the 1994 Bills, 1993 Jets, or 1994 Jets alternates.

Many teams wear throwbacks in contemporary speed helmet styles. Riddell could also fill some gaps here:

Chicago Bears 1936-37 (2019-present throwback)
Cleveland Browns 1956-67 (2006-08, 2021 throwback)
Dallas Cowboys 1976 (2021-22 throwback)
Detroit Lions 1956-57 (2017-20, 2022-23 throwback) – plain silver, grey facemask
Indianapolis Colts 1956-57 (2004, 2021-present throwback)
Jacksonville Jaguars 1995-2012 (2024 throwback) – black
Kansas City Chiefs 2019, 21 “throwback” – grey facemask
Minnesota Vikings 1961-79 (2007-11, 2023 throwback)
NY Giants 1981-99 (2016-present throwback)
NY Jets 1965-77 (2024 throwback)
Philadelphia Eagles 1994 “alternate” throwback
Philadelphia Eagles 1933 (2007 throwback)
San Francisco 49ers 1989-95 (2005-08, 2018-present throwback)
Washington Commanders (aka Boston Braves) 1933 (2012 throwback)

Or Riddell could go way back and fill some other gaps and make helmets in traditional or 2-bar styles. I think it would be cool to see the 1966 Broncos, 1960 Chargers, 1974-87 Chargers, 1980-88 Dolphins, 1989-96 Dolphins, 1969 Saints pre-season, 1975 Giants, 1964 Jets, 1962 Steelers, 1964-65 Oilers, and 1972-74 Oilers.

Oilers Drop

This Titans throwback / Oilers drop happened over the holidays. According Riddell, it’s the last limited edition drop of 2024. That does not mean it’s the last limited edition drop, as there could be more after Jan. 1, 2025.

This is the 15th limited edition drop from Riddell this year. Eight have been throwbacks and seven alternates. The Oilers helmet is notable for being the first speed style Oilers helmet.

Limited Edition Drop Checklist

Atlanta Falcons 1966-69 throwback
Baltimore Ravens 2024-present alternate
Carolina Panthers 2022-present alternate
Chicago Bears 2022-present alternate
Dallas Cowboys 2022-present alternate
Denver Broncos 1993-96 throwback
Detroit Lions 2024-present alternate
Green Bay Packers 2024-present alternate
Miami Dolphins 1966, 69-73 (2015-present throwback)
New England Patriots 1982-90 (2002, 2010-12, 2022-present throwback)
New Orleans Saints 2022 alternate
New York Giants 1937 throwback
Seattle Seahawks 1983-2011 (2023 – present throwback)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976-96 (2023-present throwback)
Tennessee Titans / Houston Oilers 1981-96 (2023-present throwback)

A Little Oilers Pocket Helmet History

1960-63: Plain columbia blue helmet, white stripe, white oil derrick. These helmets are in the AFL 50th anniversary and Throwback Series 1 sets. The two-bar is in the regular Throwback 2-bar set.
1964-65: Same helmet as 1960-63, but with white and red stripes added. There is no factory helmet for this style. I bought a factory helmet and added the red and white stripes.

1960-63 (two on the left, both factory), 1964-65 (right, custom)

1966-67 (back row): Silver helmet, blue derrick with white and red outline, red-white-blue-white-red stripes, grey facemask. This helmet is in the Throwback AFC 1969 2-bar set. The traditional style helmet in the photo is a custom; I added the white stripes.
1968-71 (front row): Silver helmet, blue derrick with white and red outline, red-blue-red stripes, grey facemask. Same as the 1966-67 helmet, but the white stripes were removed. This helmet is in the Throwback Series 2 set. Riddell placed a large gap between the red and blue stripes. However, I found no evidence of the gap. I think the red-blue-red stripes are contiuous. More information about that is in another post.

1966-67 (back row, factory on the left, custom on the right), 1968-71 (front row, factory)

1972-74: Columbia blue helmet, white/red stripes, red derrick with red outline, grey facemask. Riddell did not manufacture a factory version of this helmet. The helmet in the photo below is a custom.

1975-80: White helmet, blue derrick with red outline, red-white-blue-white-red stripes, grey facemask. No official factory helmet was made, but it can easily be customized by switching out the facemasks.
1981-96: Same helmet, but with a red facemask. The factory helmet is available in the Traditional style. Also in the speed style as a throwback (picture available at the beginning of this post).
1997-98: Same helmet, but with a tiny Tennessee state flag in the corner. The factory helmet is available in the Traditional style.

Dolphins & NFL Draft Pocket Helmet Drop

A cool throwback to the helmet the Dolphins wore in 1966. And then again sporadically between 1969-73.

Between 1966 and 1979, the Dolphins wore the same helmet, but with two different logos. In one logo, the Dolphin is inside the ring. In the other logo, the Dolphin is outside the ring. In the early days, the Dolphins would sometimes wear the two different logos in the same game.

In 1966, the Dolphins wore both logos (inside and outside). Then, in 1967 and 1968, the Dolphins only wore the outside Dolphin logo. The inside ring helmet came back in 1969. It was worn until 1973, when the Dolphins returned to the logo with the Dolphins on the outside.

The inside ring logo was used again for game in 1994 as a throwback. However, that helmet had an aqua facemask, not a grey one. The style with the inside-ring + grey facemask not worn again until 2015 as a throwback. The Dolphins have worn this throwback every year since. This is the throwback the Dolphins just dropped.

You may be wondering about the outside ring logo. Well, that hasn’t been worn since 1979. It would make a fun throwback. And maybe the Dolphins could wear both the inside ring and outside ring in one game!

This is the 6th “limited edition” throwback Riddell had made in 2024. There have been 7 alternate “limited edition” alternates, for a total of 13 limited editions.

Other 2024 throwbacks that have not been manufactured in 2024 include: Chicago (1936-37, three orange stripes), Dallas (1960-63), Jacksonville (1995-12), New York Jets (1965-77), San Francisco (1989-95), and Tenneessee (Oilers, 1975-96).

Other 2024 alternates that have not been manufactured in 2024 include: Arizona (black), Cleveland (white), Denver (white), Green Bay (plain yellow with grey facemask), Houston (2 helmets), Indianapolis (black), LA Chargers (2 white), Minnesota (white), NY Jets (black), and Washington (black). There’s also a small backlog of 2023 alternates.

Riddell also released a speed style helmet in honor of the draft in 2025 in Green Bay.

Saints Alternate Drop

What is interesting about this drop is that it’s from a previous year. Most of the other “Limited Edition” helmets were from 2024. The other two being the Bears (2022-present) and Cowboys (2023-present).

This means Riddell is open to making speed alternates from before 2024. Pre-2024 helmets could include:

Cardinals black alternate (2022)
Bears three-orange striped (2019)
Browns white alternate (2023)
Broncos white 2023 and 2024 alternates
Lions honolulu blue (2023)
Colts black alternate (2023)
Texans battle red alternate (2022)
Eagles black alternate (2022)
Commanders black alternate (2022).

For 2024, non-factory alternates that Riddell has not manufactured are:

Broncos white
Jaguars white
Jets black
Texans steel blue
Texans red
Vikings white

Who will be next? The list above has 16 options. We know Riddell has already manufactured the Lions honolulu blue 2023 alternate, but just has not released it widely. Maybe Riddell will release all of them in due time? Or as a set?

Patriots 1982-1990 Pocket Helmet Drop

Riddell dropped the Patriots throwback today. For a little context, there are basically four iterations of this helmet.

1961-63: White helmet, Pat Patriot logo, red-white-red stripes, grey facemask. Riddell manufactured a factory helmet for the Throwback Series 2 and AFL 50th anniversary sets.
1964-92: White helmet, Pat Patriot logo, red-white-blue-white-red stripes. The only change made in 1964 was the addition of the middle blue stripe. This helmet had a grey facemask (1964-81), white facemask (1982-90), and red facemask (1991-92).

The 1964-81 factory pocket helmet is available as a two-bar and traditional style factory helmet. The 1991-92 factory pocket helmet is available in the traditional style (as part of a 4-piece team set).

So, what makes this drop unique is that it is the first factory helmet for this style. Very cool.

To my knowledge, 8 teams are wearing throwbacks this year. Riddell had manufactured a speed helmet for 5 of them. The other teams are the 49ers, Jaguars, and Jets. None of these teams have a speed helmet for the throwback. The 49ers is in the traditional style, Jaguars in the 2-bar, traditional, and revolution styles, and Jets in the 2-bar style.

Broncos Pocket Helmet Drop

The Broncos dropped a throwback today! This is a popular one. But it begs the question…a throwback to what era?

A Mislabeled Helmet

The Broncos X feed claims this helmet is a throwback to 1977. The facemask and stripe colors are. The helmet color likely is, but that may not matter as the Broncos wore several shades of blue in this era.

However, it appears the D-logo on the actual helmet and the pocket helmet is the 1993-96 D-logo, not the logo the Broncos wore in 1977. So, the helmet is actually a throwback to the 1993-96 era, not 1977.

Broncos D-helmet era

The Broncos adopted the D-era helmet in 1968 and wore it through 1996. The team made the switch to the modern-logo helmet in 1997 (I am in the minority who prefer the modern helmet, but to each their own).

The helmet had several iterations, but I will try to simplify it. The Broncos wore a blue helmet between 1967 and 1996. The 1967 helmet was blue, but had no logo. Between 1967-73 the facemask was grey and was white between 1974-96. They all had various shades of blue. The Broncos wore the same logo until 1992. In 1993, the team updated the logos (see image below). The Broncos wore the D logo helmet again in 2016 through 2023 as part of the color rush/alternate series and in 2023 as a “white out” helmet.

This amounts to 6 different helmets (see the list below).

1968-70: Dark blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, grey facemask
1971-73: Medium blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, grey facemask
- Throwback Series 2
  - The pocket pro displays the 1993-96 “D” logo. The Broncos actually wore the 1968-92 “D” logo
1974-75: Medium blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, white facemask
- No factory pocket helmet
1976-78: Dark blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, white facemask
- No factory pocket helmet
1979-92: Medium blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white/orange/white stripes, white facemask
- No factory pocket helmet
1993-96, 2001 Throwback: Royal blue helmet, second ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white, white facemask
- Traditional 99 Throwback (traditional style) / 4-piece Throwback Team set (traditional style helmet)
- Speed. The Broncos X feed claims this is a throwback to 1977, but the logo on the helmet is from 1993-96.

If you don’t care about the shades of blue, there are only three helmet styles, not including the alternates: 1968-73 (grey facemask, first logo), 1974-92 (white facemask, first logo) and 1993-96 (white facemask, second logo).

Here are the D-logos. The old-D logo (1968-92) is on the left. The new D-logo (1993-96) is on the right.