Tag: nfl

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.

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.

References:

Steelers Pocket Helmet Update

I came across a photo on the Santuario Steelers facebook site today. Apparently, the Steelers made a slight change to their logo in 2002. The differences are subtle and have to do with the shield logos. Here are the differences:

  1. Different Steelers font.
  2. Deeper colors in the diamonds.
  3. A black ring around the grey circle (this is almost impossible to see with a black background).

To my previous knowledge, the Steelers only had two logos: the “Steel” logo from 1962 and the “Steelers” logo 1963-present.

I checked my Steelers pocket helmets. I did notice differences in the helmet logos. I assumed these differences were the results of minor variations in factory printing. It turns out there were also variations in the hypocycloid colors and grey ring. But they were likely intentional.

I went to the authority on all things football uniform related, the Gridiron Uniform Database. I did not see mention of a change between 2001 and 2002. This article by Bill Schaefer detailed the following history. I think the yellow helmets are using a more modern “Steelers” font. So, this could be an error on Riddell’s part.

  1. 1962: Yellow helmet, Steel logo, yellow-orange-blue hypocycloids, grey facemask. The factory pocket helmet from this era has yellow-red-blue hypocycloids. This helmet is in the throwback series 1 and throwback 2 bar sets.
  2. 1963-67: Black helmet, smaller Steelers logo, yellow-orange-blue hypocycloids, grey facemask. The factory pocket helmet from this era has yellow-red-blue hypocycloids.
  3. 1967-77: Black helmet, even smaller Steelers logo, yellow-Vermilion-blue hypocycloids, black facemask. The factory pocket helmet from this era has yellow-red-blue hypocycloids. Vermillion is a color between orange and red I randomly chose. Regardless, it demonstrates the gradual change from orange to red. This helmet, along with the previous 1963-67 helmet, would be in the throwback series 1, series 2, throwback 2-bar, and throwback 2-bar 1969 sets.
  4. 1978-90: Black helmet, more smaller Steelers logo, yellow-red-blue hypocycloids, black facemask. This helmet is in the traditional style.
  5. 1990-2001: Black helmet, Steelers logo, yellow-red-blue hypocycloids, black facemask. This helmet is in the traditional style. According to the Schaefer article, the font was bolded in 1990. A search through Getty Images convinced me the font was bolder in the 1990s.
  6. 2002-present: Black helmet, Steelers logo with changed font, yellow-red-blue hypocycloids, black circle around gray border, black facemask. This helmet would be in the traditional, revolution and speed styles.

As much as I love attention to detail, it’s daunting to research all of the minor variations in colors and fonts. I am going to slightly amend the Steelers checklist for my personal collection. Other collectors may want to be more detailed.

Here is my revised checklist: