Category: riddell

Patriots 1982-1990 Pocket Helmet Drop

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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?

Photo from Riddell Collectables

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).

  1. 1968-70: Dark blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, grey facemask
  2. 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
  3. 1974-75: Medium blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, white facemask
    • No factory pocket helmet
  4. 1976-78: Dark blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, white facemask
    • No factory pocket helmet
  5. 1979-92: Medium blue helmet, first ‘D’ logo, white/orange/white stripes, white facemask
    • No factory pocket helmet
  6. 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.

Two Alternate Updates

The Jaguars and Packers added two “white out” helmets to their alternates this year. No news on the pocket helmet status, but none expected either as these are brand new. So, the Jaguars will wear three helmets in 2024: the white out, the 1995-2012 throwback, and their primary helmet. The Packers will wear two.

One might think the Packers have not worn a lot of alternates as their primary helmet has not changed since 1961. However, the white out helmet will be their fourth alternate since 1994. Here are the other three.

  1. 1994, 2013-19: Plain yellow helmet, green facemask. I believe the intent of this helmet is to be a throwback as it was worn in the 1994 throwback year. However, the Packers never wore a plain yellow helmet. Their yellow helmets have always had one or two stripes.
  2. 2001, 2021 alternate: Plain yellow helmet, grey facemask. This is the same helmet as above, just with a grey facemask.
  3. 2010-11 alternate: Plain brown helmet, grey facemask. I believe this helmet is a throwback of sorts to the 1951-53 plain brown helmet. The modern helmet is much darker, though.

If one doesn’t consider the facemask color, the Packers and the Browns have the oldest primary helmet designs still in use (1961). The Browns made a slight change to their striping texture in 2015-19, so maybe it’s not as continuous as the Packers.

The Jaguars and Packers join the Bengals, Broncos, Browns, Cowboys, and Vikings for teams that have worn the white out helmet in 2023 or 2024, for a total of seven.

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From UniSwag
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From Packers

Jaguars Throwback Update

The Jaguars introduced a throwback for 2024. It is the helmet they wore in 1995-2012.

This helmet is available as a pocket helmet in the 2-bar, traditional, chrome, and revolution styles. A lot of them are still available on various shopping sites. It is not available as a speed style factory helmet. I would anticipate it’s appearance as a factory speed pocket helmet is unlikely. But who knows?

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From Jaguars X site

Atlanta Falcons Pocket Helmet Drop

Riddell announced the drop of the Falcons 1966-69 throwback pocket helmet. It’s part of their 2024 limited edition series.

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Photo from Riddell Sports X

This should be straight forward, right? Well, kind of.

First, the pocket helmet is a 100% accurate depiction of the 1966-69 Falcons helmet: gold/white/black stripes, grey facemask, the feather has floating lines, and the arm and neck meet in a V-pattern.

Of course, the speed style helmet was not around in the 1960’s. The falcons wore it as a throwback in 2009 and 12. And again in 2022-23. The helmet is accurate save for one minor detail: the neckline. In 1966-69, the logo had a V-pattern. The throwback the Falcons have worn in the 20th century has a straight line between the head and arm. Look at the photo above and the photo below.

Photo from SportstalkATL

So, the pocket helmet is an accurate throwback in the speed style. The actual throwback helmet wore by the Falcons is not 100% accurate. This is a minor detail that may not matter to most collectors, if not all of them. Happy collecting!

May and June Updates

I had an incredibly busy 6 weeks. But am back! I want to express my appreciation to Michael Dole for the motivation 🙂

All of the team websites and the team checklists below have been updated. I will be busy the rest of the summer updating my collection and will post photos as they come in.

Riddell dropped factory primary helmets for 2024. These are separate from the recent “special edition” releases.

  1. Broncos 2024 primary.
  2. Browns 2024 primary.
  3. Jets 2024 primary.
  4. Lions 2024 primary.
  5. Texans 2024 primary.

The fact these were released is a hint that these will be all of the primary helmet updates for 2024. These are available on various shopping sites.

Two special edition factory drops

Riddell dropped one factory throwback and one factory alternate for the Bucs and Panthers, respectively.

  • The Bucs helmet is a 1976-96 throwback. The Bucs wore this helmet again in 2009-12 and 2023-present as a throwbabck. Riddell previously manufactured this helmet in the 2-bar and traditional styles.
  • The Panthers helmet is an alternate the Panthers have worn since 2022.
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Riddell Collectables X
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Riddell Collectables X

Vikings alternate

The Vikings dropped a new white alternate. All indications are that the Vikings will continue to wear the 1961-79 throwback. The Vikings will wear three helmets in 2024. A factory pocket helmet has not been announced as of today.

Source: Minnesota Vikings X

New York Giants Throwback

For their 100th anniversary, the Giants will wear a blue wing-front helmet with a grey facemask. No factory helmet as of June 2024.

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Ravens alternate

In April, Uni Watch released a rumor about the Ravens adopting an alternate helmet in 2024. The Ravens have been a model of consistency, wearing only one design since 1999.

Lions & Texans Updates

Lions

The Lions announced three helmets for next year. One is new. The other is a new alternate. The third is a throwback that was worn in 1949-56 and as a throwback in 2017 through 2020 and again in 2022 through the present. None of the three helmets have a factory helmet.

The Lions have been active in their helmets since 2000. Since 2000 (including 2024), they have worn five different official helmets, two alternates, and three throwbacks (the plain silver helmets with either a blue, silver or black facemask). That’s 10 different helmet styles in 25 years.

The silver helmet is basically the same as last years, with added white stripes, a blue facemask, and lighter blue Lion. The alternate replaces the light blue Lion and stripes with black. The plain silver helmet has been worn as a throwback for a while now. Interestingly, Detroit has worn the plain silver helmet at other times, but with blue or black facemasks.

See the Lions or Teams checklist sites for more details.

Texans

There is a rumor the Texans will have a new alternate next year. It will not have the traditional bull logo, but an H in what appear to be old Houston Oilers colors. We’ll see if that goes anywhere.

Browns White Facemasks are Back

The Browns are going back to the white facemask. A short history of the Browns helmets is below.

The “new” version released the other day is the same style as the Browns wore between 1975 and 2005. The Browns also wore in 2022 and 2023 as a throwback. Factory pocket helmets exist for this style in Traditional, Revolution, and Chrome styles, but not speed. I would anticipate Riddell releasing a speed style of this helmet sometime this year.