NIKE NFL Uniforms Could Be Special

Nike will take over NFL uniform production starting in 2012.  That really isn't news. What is a bit of news is the new look that is percolating throughout the internet with 'sneak peeks' at what these uniform designs might look like.  At the time of the announcement, NIKE promised to be aggressive with their designs, much like the NCAA designs the company made for Ohio State and other the past couple of seasons as part of the NIKE COMBAT line.

So what should we expect?  When it comes to the AFC North, expect little to change.  The Browns and Steelers have had the same look and feel for decades and NIKE will unlikely be able to change that.  While these designs are considered fakes, it does go to show that with a bit of creativity and an open mind, a little updating never hurts:

via snsimages.tribune.com

Josh Cribbs never looked so badass.  How about the Steelers?

via snsimages.tribune.com

If anything screams fake it is this look, I mean, really, a yellow helmet?

Ok, what about the Ravens?

via snsimages.tribune.com

I actually like this design, though like many of the designs that were photoshopped, errr, shared, the white-helmet look just doesn't do it for me.

Finally, the Bengals:

via snsimages.tribune.com

I don't know about you, but the huge image of the Bengals logo on the pants is a bit unnerving for me.

While I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, I should mention that these designs are likely to be fake.  Look at the helmets.  They say Schutt.  The NFL is a Riddell shop, meaning any mock-ups provided by NIKE would have all current NFL-branding.  Cue the game-show loser music.

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NFL Releases Pro Bowl Rosters

While the game itself is usually not much fun to watch, finding out who was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl is always interesting. A mixture of fan, player and coach voting, who is selected to play in the largely lackluster game is often as much of a popularity contest as anything.

And as it will always be when you have to narrow down an entire league into two rosters, deserving people will be left out and some not-so-deserving people will sneak in. This year, of course, is no exception as there are some major head scratchers and down right interesting pairings.

The complete list of AFC and NFC rosters can be found here. After taking a quick glance, here are three of my rapid fire reactions:

-The most awkward group of selections is the NFC quarterbacks. Drew Brees gets the nod to start (no argument here) while Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers back him up. Yes, the very same Favre and Rodgers who played together in Green Bay. The same Favre who never embraced the role of the mentor and was ultimately replaced by Rodgers. I have no doubt that they will be very pleasant in front of the media, but you have to imagine that it will be uncomfortable for the both of them.

-The biggest slight has to be the exclusion of any Cincinnati Bengals, who have the honor of being the only division champion to not have a player selected. At first I found this troubling, but when I realized there is not a player on their roster I'd put in over someone on the AFC team I realized it was a smart move.

-The biggest surprise to me was the inclusion of Wes Welker. It is not that I do not think he is deserving (he is first in the NFL in receptions and second in receiving yards), but I could not imagine him getting in over the much ballyhooed Randy Moss.

Who do you think was the biggest snub? Which player got in do you think should be watching from home? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Source: Mouth Piece Sports