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.

Broncos and Texans Updates

Broncos

The Broncos announced three changes:

  • Regular helmet: 2024-present: Midnight blue helmet, modern bronco logo, dotted orange arrow stripes, midnight blue facemask
  • Alternate: 2024-present alternate: White helmet, modern bronco logo, dotted midnight blue arrow stripes, white facemask
  • Throwback: 1976-78: Dark blue and medium blue helmets, 1968-92 ‘D’ logo, white-orange-white stripes, white facemask

The new regular helmet is basically the same as the previous helmet. It only has a different stripe. Same with the white alternate.

It appears the midnight blue alternate Denver wore between 2016 and 2023 will be retired. As will the 2023 alternate. I would not anticipate Riddell making factory versions of these pocket helmets as they are now outdated.

The Broncos twitter feed suggests the throwback is a throwback to 1977. However, the image appears to display the 1993-96 logo. As noted on my Broncos pocket helmet site, the Broncos changed the “D” logo in 1993. There’s also the issue of the color. The Broncos wore the lighter blue later, mostly in the 80s and 90s. However, there is evidence to suggest the Broncos wore multiple shades of blue in 1976-77. So, the color might match.

There’s a lot of nostalgia for this helmet. I think it looks great. But I have also liked the newer Broncos logo and helmet from the last 20 years. It has a clean, modern look. The logo also stands out. The throwback is an orange D with, from a distance, looks like a white ink blot.

Texans

The Texans released two new alternates for 2024. one midnight blue and the other red. Both are significant departures from the current helmet. The midnight blue alternate appears to incorporate Oilers colors.

A factory pocket helmet of the red alternate was not made last year (2023). I would expect this helmet to be retired and a factory pocket helmet not made.

From Texans Twitter feed

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.

Bears and Jets Updates

Bears

In a big plus for collectors, Riddell announced the new Bears alternate. I am a big fan of this alternate. The Bears are my favorite NFC team.

For those keeping track, Riddell has released the following factory alternates. Other collectors have confirmed the existence of the Lions alternate, but I have not seen it for sale anywhere. The Steelers alternate is no longer manufactured.

  • Cincinnati Bengals 2022-present alternate: White helmet, black facemask, black stripes, speed style
  • Dallas Cowboys 2022-present alternate: White helmet, blue star with blue outline, two blues stripes, speed style
  • Detroit Lions 2023-present alternate: Honolulu blue helmet, alternate logo, grey facemask, speed style
  • Pittsburgh Steelers 2007-11 alternate/throwback: Plain yellow helmet, ”Steelers” logo, black stripe, revolution style.

And two throwbacks that were worn in 2023 and likely again in 2024:

  • Philadelphia Eagles 1985-96 throwback: Green helmet, silver wing with white outline, grey facemask, speed style
  • Seattle Seahawks 1983-2001 throwback: Silver helmet, class seahawk, blue facemask, speed style
Photo from Riddell Collectables, X

Jets

The Jets released a new helmet design. This design is the same as the 1978-89 design. So, it has been worn before, but not the modern helmets. The Jets also released a black alternate.

I anticipate Riddell will release factory versions of the green helmet. It seems like Riddell is manufacturing more alternates, so I would also anticipate a release of the black helmet.

Photo from NY Jets, X

Seahawks 2023 Throwback Announced

Riddell announced the release of the 1983-2001 Seahawks throwback helmet. The Seahawks wore this helmet in 2023. The original helmet was silver with a blue facemask. This is the first time Riddell has manufactured this helmet in the speed style.

Here are the updates on factory Riddell pocket helmets as of March 2024. I have only seen the Cowboys and Seahawks helmets available on the Riddell website. All others have to be purchased from secondary sellers on eBay or other sites.

  • Cincinnati Bengals 2022-present alternate: White helmet, black facemask, black stripes, speed style
  • Dallas Cowboys 2022-present alternate: White helmet, blue star with blue outline, two blues stripes, speed style
  • Detroit Lions 2023-present alternate: Honolulu blue helmet, alternate logo, grey facemask, speed style
  • Philadelphia Eagles 1985-96 throwback: Green helmet, silver wing with white outline, grey facemask, speed style
  • Pittsburg Steelers 2007-11 alternate/throwback: Plain yellow helmet, ”Steelers” logo, black stripe, revolution style. This helmet is no longer manufactured.

Oilers Pocket Factory Helmet Update

Between 1966 and 1971, the Oilers had a silver helmet. Between 1966 and 1967, the helmet had red-white-blue-white-red stripes. In 1968, the white stripes were removed. The factory helmets are displayed below.

Back row: 1966-67. The 2-bar helmet is from the 1969 set. I added white stripes to the helmet on the right, which is from the throwback series 2 set.
1968-71: Factory helmet from the throwback series 2 set.

A few months ago, I noticed I never saw a helmet with the red-silver-blue-silver-red stripes configuration. Rather, the stripes were always continuous, as shown in the photos below. This was pointed out to me by fellow collector and helmet expert, Michael Eggenburg.

Neil Leifer Collection, Getty Images, 11/28/1968.
Neil Leifer Collection, Getty Images, 12/21/1969.
Ron Kuntz Collection, Getty Images, 11/20/1979

I had originally indicated the Oilers changed to the red-silver-blue-silver-red stripes configuration in 1971. I think I know why. Some of the stripe patterns from 1971 do exhibit a silver gap between the red and blue.

However, I think is more likely due to sloppy stripe placement than intentional design. The gap on the actual helmets is much narrower than the factory pocket helmet. So, this may not be an egregious error on Riddell’s part.

The definitive source on all these things is the Gridiron Uniform Database, which does not reference the red-silver-blue-silver-red stripes configuration. So, I am going to go with that verdict. I updated the team checklist to reflect this. In the future, I will make a custom to reflect this.

Thank you to Michael Eggenburg for bringing this to my attention!

Bettmann Collection, Getty Images, 11/14/1971
JJ Fowler, Pinterest, Date unknown
Helmet Addict, Twitter, Date unknown

Cowboys Factory Alternate

Riddell dropped a new Cowboys factory pocket helmet in March 2024. This is the white alternate Dallas implemented in 2022. A tweet from Riddell collectables implied they are going to periodically release pocket helmet alternates.

This the fourth factory alternate Riddell has manufactured. Last year, Riddell made the white Bengals alternate. The Bengals alternate can usually be found on ebay. The Lions alternate was made this year. The Lions helmet appears to be rare. I can’t find it for sale anywhere online. About 15 years ago, Riddell manufactured the yellow Steelers alternate in the Revolution style.

If the tweet is correct, I would expect more in the alternate pocket helmets in the future. As I have written previously, an alternate set would be really nice.

Dallas is one of seven teams for which Riddell has a factory helmet for each era. All other teams have gaps that are filled in by custom designs. The other teams with complete factory sets are: Bengals, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Ravens, Seahawks and Vikings.

I suppose one could also add the Rams in the red 1948 leather helmet, to bring the number to eight. I also considered adding the Chiefs. However, I think the 2019 and 2021 “throwbacks” the Chiefs wore with the grey facemask have the modern logo. This makes them unique on their own. A custom is easy: replace a factory speed white facemask with a grey one.

Detroit Lions Riddell Pocket Helmet Update

As I write this, the Lions have won the NFC North. It is their first division win since 1993. Congratulations!

As many know, the Lions incorporated a new alternate helmet in 2023. It is honolulu blue with a grey facemask. The logo is a homage to the Ford Mustang logo. The logo has been around for years, but this is the first time the Lions wore it on a helmet.

This isn’t the first time the Lions have worn a Honolulu blue helmet. My research indicates the Lions wore a plain Honolulu helmet in 1949 and 1953. My research is largely based on the Gridiron Uniform Database.

The photo below is from 1953. The Lions won the NFL championship in 1953, so maybe this helmet is a positive omen.

The Lions first alternate helmet was worn in 1994. Since then, they have incorporated the following alternates in their routines:

Like nearly all alternates, Riddell did not manufacture factory pocket helmets of these Lions alternates. However, Riddell did manufacture the 2023 Lions alternate, in addition to the Bengals alternate and Eagles throwback. I saw photos of the helmet floating around online. Fellow collector Michael Dole confirmed the existence of this helmet. His photos are below:

Michael bought his helmet online. But neither of us really know where the helmet was originally obtained. The Bengals alternate and Eagles speed throwback are available on eBay, so I speculate those may only be sold in physical fan shops or the Hall of Fame store.

I have not seen the Lions helmet anywhere, however. The Lions helmet could have been manufactured for a special event or is maybe sold at a Lions pro shop. I can’t find it anywhere online.

This is only the third alternate helmet Riddell has manufactured. The others are the Steelers 2007-11 yellow and 2022-present Bengals white. I suppose one could include the Eagles throwback as an “alternate” as it was manufactured in the speed style.

Hopefully, Riddell will make this and other alternates more available in the future. An entire set would be really cool.

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