May 25, 2013

Browns to Bring Back the Brown Jerseys

May 14, 2012 by 38 Comments

Having worn white-on-white for all 16 contests in 2011, the Cleveland Browns will revert back to typical gridiron style and look to bring back the brown version of their uniform for the 2012 season.

ESPNCleveland’s Tony Grossi reports that Browns head coach Pat Shurmur hinted toward the team wearing their brown counterparts for at least four of the team’s eight regular season home games for the upcoming year. Last season, the team chose to honor the Paul Brown era by wearing white at home. With their opponents choosing their dark jerseys on the road, the Browns were relegated to the white uniform for the entire season, drawing the ire of some of their fan base following a 4-12 season.

Browns president Mike Holmgren sounded suprised when this issue was addressed during his media circuit last week. It appears that, with the fans speaking, the team is listening.

[Related: Holmgren goes on media tour promising ‘big jump’ for Browns in 2012]

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  • mgbode

    now add the orange pants for those games too.

  • C-Bus Kevin

    Tradition is great but all-white jerseys just show how many times your QB has been planted in the mud.

    I wouldn’t mind seeing orange pants. However, the “orange barrel” all-orange should probably stay retired.

  • Jack

    Counterparts?

  • mgbode

    I do not recall the Browns ever going orange-pants & orange-jerseys at the same time.

  • dwhit110

    Yes, something that was easy to get right. Thank you.

  • BenRM

    HOORAY!!!!! White on white was so boring.

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    there seems to be so much confusion on when and why the browns wore white jerseys at home.  this confusion seems not to have been addressed and this led to fans wanting dark jerseys and holmgren bowing.

    the story i’d always heard (but cant find reference on) is this:  paul brown felt that wearing the heat absorbing seal brown jerseys in the early season was a disadvantage.  therefore you’ll see the white jerseys worn in september/october; brown jerseys show up in november/december.  (that the cowboys are the other notable team that follows this practice makes sense and sounds landry-esque also.)

    pretty simple idea really, and pretty wise.  had this explanation been figured out by berea and presented to fans, i think the fans wouldve been ok with it.

    a minor opportunity to be smart, gone.  no biggie i guess.

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    there seems to be so much confusion on when and why the browns wore white jerseys at home.  this confusion seems not to have been addressed and this led to fans wanting dark jerseys and holmgren bowing.

    the story i’d always heard (but cant find reference on) is this:  paul brown felt that wearing the heat absorbing seal brown jerseys in the early season was a disadvantage.  therefore you’ll see the white jerseys worn in september/october; brown jerseys show up in november/december.  (that the cowboys are the other notable team that follows this practice makes sense and sounds landry-esque also.)

    pretty simple idea really, and pretty wise.  had this explanation been figured out by berea and presented to fans, i think the fans wouldve been ok with it.

    a minor opportunity to be smart, gone.  no biggie i guess.

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    (and please.. no orange pants, no white facemasks.)

    fwiw, my ideal uni would move toward penn state – notre dame model.  no stripes on the pants.  all seal brown on the socks with no stripes, dark shoes with dark tape.  certainly no logo on the helmet.  and would be very much ok discarding the name on the back of the jersey.  message implied:  we’re a no-frills football TEAM. think mike tyson entering ring with cut out towel instead of robe.

  • MrCleaveland

    When Grossi used to write his “Hey Tony” Q&A column at the P.D., he was adamant in refusing to write about uniforms. He hated the topic.

    If we’re going to wear brown jerseys, we need to also wear the matching striped socks. The all-brown stripe-less socks are blah.

  • mgbode

    Piped stripes on the pants of the Cleveland Browns is as much a staple to the uniform as the stripes on the helmet.

  • http://twitter.com/Dennymayo Denny

    Finally, our long-lasting national nightmare is put to rest.

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    theyve been there since the start, yes.  but with the no logo helmet, the larger theme is ‘no frills’ thus i think eliminating the pants stripe conforms and enhances that theme.  

    hey, just my take.  understood this subject generates more opinions than our receiving corps.

    (i mean, mr cleaveland and i are as traditionalist as anyone here and i see from his comment that he and i part company on striped socks.  sooo… when mr. c and i aren’t on the same page on how best to ‘recapture’ the paul brown vibe … then there truly is no way to please everyone.)

  • MrCleaveland

    They just don’t look right to me without the striped socks. But I’ve noticed that other tradition-bound teams have also ditched the striped socks, most notably the Packers. In fact, I can’t think of anybody who wears them anymore.

    For a Paul Brown AAFC throwback, wouldn’t it be fun to see them go with the all-white helmets just once?

  • BisonDeleSightings

    Me neither, as my sense of sight still exists.

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    It should come as no surprise that Holmgren was surprised that there was an issue.  I think he’s had a disconnect with the fans of the Browns for awhile now.

    As far as the colors go love the Brown jersey hopefully the product lives up to the packaging.  If they do well I’d love to see the orange pants added down the line.

  • TSR3000

    I hate the orange pants. 

  • baclap

    I like the all white. I can live with the brown jerseys but please no orange (jerseys or pants).

  • Natedawg86

    Thats 2 more wins right there.

    I would have liked to see one of the other home teams wear light colors and make the browns wear darks last year.

  • mgbode

    well yeah, our WR corps generates exactly 2 opinions:

    1. they suck and they will continue to suck.
    2. they suck and I really hope they somehow don’t suck this year.
    :)

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    lol.  im the only guy here who thinks this:

    1. little is a gamer and with a sick vertical and will make clutch catches next year and (pleasant surprise) sustain blocks downfield.
    2. cribbs was our best WR last year but for reasons still unknown, colt only threw to the other (right) side of the field and so he didnt have much of a chance to shine.
    3. momass aint coming back from the concussion.  dont think he’ll ever go over the middle fearlessly again.
    4. josh cooper will be this year’s dane sanzenbacher.

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    That’s alot of sucking!

  • mgbode

    ah hope.  the may-december romance of Browns football (starts in May, dies in September and kicks back in December for the next year).

    my hopes for the WR corps:

    1. Little – needs to play tougher.  I think if he does, the drops will go down, his YAC will go up, the blocking will be there and we’ll be much happier with him.

    2. Cribbs may be our best downfield weapon.  He has a knack at finding the ball in the air, adjusting and fighting like mad to get it.  We do need to utilize this more often.

    3. Maybe we can use him as a WR3/4.  He can get open against those weaker CBs and be of somewhat use. 

    4. What?  no, you are the only one on that island.   I’ll put hope in Norwood becoming the slot guy or Benjamin being a deep threat before I go out on that limb.

  • gren

    Am I the only one who misses the Orange jerseys?

  • C-Bus Kevin

    My memory may be a bit fuzzy, and they might not have gone orange on orange, but the orange shirts definitely happened…it was during the William Green era (if I dare call it that). As I recall, the team played so bad in them that they discontinued their use after just a few games.

  • mgbode

    yes, we definitely had orange jersey / white pants combo.  I sort of liked them and own an orange jersey.   not as a staple by any means, but as a “once in a blue moon to just mix things up while keeping a traditional look overall” type of thing.

  • JoshKess

    Brown jerseys orange pants are the best

  • Mark

    I’m going to go out on a limb here and expect everyone to hate it but here goes: all brown. That’s right, brown jerseys and brown pants. I looked at the photos from the rookie mini camp this weekend and I was surprised that I liked the brown jerseys with the brown shorts and orange helmets. Throw in a white and orange stripe down the side of the pants and I think it would look pretty good.

  • TSM

    Agree with TSR.   Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Warfield, etc. never wore the orange pants.   They were first worn in the Sipe era.   Let’s stick with the classic look from when they were the undisputed kings of the NFL.

  • hanover_fist

    Here’s an idea: how about we honor the Paul Brown era by winning some freakin’ games.

  • mgbode

    I only like the brown pants when accompanied with the white jerseys.  and if they actually had the piping* on the pants like they are supposed to.

    *white-orange-white or orange-white-orange piping

  • dwhit110

    “As I recall, the team played so bad in them that they discontinued their use after just a few games.”

    If that was the litmus test for wearing a jersey, we’d be out of colors by now.

  • akzipper

    Bring back the orange pants!!

  • C-Bus Kevin

    True story…

    We’d be debating the merits of gray and purple with Blue Streak powder blue trim with all the colors we would have gone through by now.

  • cleveland__rocks

    YES. i missed the brown jerseys so much last season.

  • Fryan723

    How was his meeting with fans this past week or two the first time Holmgren heard about the fans not liking White at home? Everyone has complained about it since the end of the season. And is he really listening to the fans. “Oh they hate white at home… well we’ll just where 4 Browns and 4 White at homes games. That should fix the problem.” NO! Just where Brown at home. We are not the Saints or the Cowboys. Whites are for away or the NBA.

  • saggy

    for a Paul Brown AAFC throwback, wouldn’t it be nice to see them WIN just once?

  • ElectrifyingUno

    The Browns should never wear all white. When they wear the brown tops at home then wear white pants and when they wear the white tops, then BRING BACK THE EARLY 90′S Leroy Hoard days brown pants with the orange and white stripes on the side. Hello Browns management… No not those hideous all brown pants with no stripes either.