Browns: 75th anniversary commemorative uniforms are not good

The Browns have gone back to the past for their new commemorative uniforms.

The Browns have unveiled their new uniforms for the upcoming 2021 season, designed to be part of the 75h anniversary of the team and limited in their use. These aren’t new regular uniforms, just something for the 2021 season. Released at midnight on July 24, the jerseys had already been leaked a few months ago, so they weren’t much of a surprise.

The pants follow the same pattern as the jersey, with orange and brown stripes against a white backdrop. The helmet is a solid orange, with a singular white stripe, and black numerals on the side that reflect each player’s individual number.

The design was based on the original uniforms used by the team back in 1946, the year the team first debuted in Cleveland. To help celebrate that fact, the team will also have a 1946-patch on the left side of their jersey to commemorate their inaugural season.

The jersey is fine but the helmets are awful

The issue with these uniforms comes down to the awful, nearly child-like designed helmets. In 1946, these types of helmets, let alone helmets that had a facemask, didn’t exist. Most teams (if not all) still used leather helmets. There certainly weren’t any numbers or stripes on the side of them.

Not only that, those helmets were smaller, more compact, while the modern-day NFL helmet is extremely large and heavy. The proportions make single-colored numerals look antiquated and outdated. The single white stripe remains flat against an orange base that didn’t exist in the first place.

The jarring use of a third independent color on the helmet really pulls away from what could’ve been a nice and clean look. It’d be one thing if the three colors were pulled together in and around the stripe as the modern helmets do, but this feels more like a toddler wanting to use every one of their favorite colors on the helmet.

No matter if it clashed or not.

It’s not the worst thing we’ve ever seen, and frankly, those city jerseys the Cavaliers got did grow on me, so who knows but at first look, these Browns uniforms aren’t doing it for me.

Granted, you could argue that it captures the idea of tradition and history, but all I’m hearing then is that it would’ve been a good idea to not pay homage to those jerseys. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it was good. You don’t see modern builders, contractors, and designers talking about how pastels worked in the 40s and 50s so it’ll look great with this modern home. Nope. Leave the past in the past.

The Browns ’46 uniforms probably should’ve stayed in ’46.