Rolling up like a 1936 classic, Kyle Fuller modeled the fresh, beautiful, and clean Chicago Bears Classic uniform. Non-arguably the BEST in the league.
One thing that is for certain, the leaked jersey a week ago was legit, but the player-cut uniform is even better.
Immediate Reaction
Two words: excitement and delight. My matured reaction is confirmed, still great. A true representation of the 1936 uniform.
Nike and the Bears really got this right and missed no details. Let’s take a deep dive from the top-down, helmet to cleats.
Helmet
Let’s start with the helmet. The wishbone C logo is no more. It is replaced with three orange stripes down the left, middle, and right side of the helmet. As is normal for the Bears, no player numbers are on the front or back of the helmet. The Bears traditionally wear a navy face mask, and they stuck with it for this uniform. Great decision.
Jersey
The leaks were real and looked even better with players modeling them (Kyle Fuller and Tarik Cohen). Differences came in the sleeves and Bears100 patch. After looking at the jersey for a bit, it looks like they used the away template and added the top-shoulder stripes and new numbers.
As stated in my article last week, the numerals are a modified version from the Monsters of the Midway Jersey. They are less squatty and more normal in terms of weight (thickness) and height. Not sure why, but there are actually different number fonts used for the front and back. To catch this detail, look at the corners of the number, sometimes it is a 90-degree angle, others it is a 45-degree cut. Here is one example:
More on that in another article later …
No TV numbers on the shoulders, but no need to worry as the numbers on the front and back are beautifully legible. I am glad to see this move for two reasons:
- It stays true to the original 1936 reference
- It keeps the overall design in a simple state.
It is so easy to crowd a design, but this has a nice balance of bells (numbers) and whistles (stripes).
The nameplate on the back of the jersey seems to have the same block font as the standard jersey. One last thing about numbers, this update is going to ease the job of announcers calling the game because of how legible these numerals are as compared to the Monsters Uni.
Pant
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. This is an important acronym to remember when putting a design together. The Bears took this same approach with the pants of this uniform, blank navy. Clean and effective.
Socks
The most anticipated and polarizing element for this uniform before the full reveal was the socks. The 1936 inspiration has a sweet set of alternating navy and orange striped socks. I am happy to report that they DID make it.
They pair well with the solid pant and cleat color. Maybe Nagy can get creative with a play using the sock pattern as a distracting factor …
Cleats and Gloves
Down to the final accessory, cleat and glove color. Both of the modeling players, Fuller and Cohen, wore the same color, white. The white Jersey is definitely a statement, so these flow right along with that. Great call.
On a scale of 1-10 …
I have been waiting a while for this event and it did not disappoint. After putting together concepts, reading articles, and seeing leaks, I have to give this Classic uniform a 10/10 ???.
There is honestly not one thing I would change on this uniform, and I will be picking one up.
Which game do they wear these?
Two games this year! Both at home. The first against our division opponent in the Vikings on September 29th, and the second in a prime time Thursday night game against the Cowboys on December 5th.
Jersey schedule for the season?
The season schedule has been out for a while, but we now know the uniform lineup. There are four to choose from like last year. We have the traditional home / away, orange alternate, and now this white Classic uniform. As stated, the Bears will wear the Classic twice, but we now know they will also wear the orange alternate once. It sounds like the classic uniform may be a one-time deal with this being the centennial season, soak it up!
Chasing Greatness
I hope you enjoyed this reaction and breakdown. It is not every year a storied franchise such as the Chicago Bears releases something new and it knocks it out of the park, or rather drills a game-winning kick down the middle? This team dominated the NFC North last year with their play, and with this uniform, they again have dominated not only the division but the whole league. ?
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