Everybody loves a good, clean, classic jersey.
Say what you will about the teams, but the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers are just two examples of teams that have clean jerseys that just fit perfectly with their image. What separates the best from the rest in the uniform game is how you stack up in the retro uniform department. Fans love to see teams switch it up, and teams have started to lean into that in recent years.
Recently, Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports went through and ranked the league's best collection of retro uniforms. Out of the 21 retro uniforms that were ranked, the Chicago Bears were ranked dead last.
Should the Bears' throwback uniforms get more respect than the 21st ranking it got?
While the only uniforms ranked were those in circulation last year, it speaks to how little the uniforms are liked by football's media members. While Chicago's 1936 throwbacks are certainly not the best in the league, they deserve a little more respect, especially considering that the only reasoning given by Kerr was that Chicago has "better throwback designs."
To be fair to the writer of the article, the Chicago Bears do have better designs in their arsenal. We even broke down our top five list here. Among the multiple uniforms the Chicago Bears have used in the past, it appears that fans love the orange uniforms, also known as the Monsters of the Midway uniforms, the most.
Looking at the list, the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers were all ranked above Chicago, even with their jerseys looking incredibly similar to their current jerseys.
While I may be slightly biased, I find it hard to believe that the Bears' 1936 throwbacks are worse than the Green Bay Packers' all-green uniforms, with their plain yellow helmet, or the Detroit Lions' blue uniforms, featuring a plain silver helmet. Taking a look at those uniforms is enough to make anyone want to turn off their TV screen or question why such basic designs receive such positive reception.
Nevertheless, while the jerseys' appearance is far from indicative of how the team will play on the field, it will be interesting to see if the Bears organization starts to move away from these throwbacks and either resurrects the orange uniforms or the classic "Monsters of the Midway" uniforms. As the team attempts to rebrand itself as a perennial playoff team and a contender in the NFC, it wouldn't be surprising to see them move away from the 1936 throwbacks to a newer option.
With a new era starting to take place in Chicago, what do you think about Chicago's throwback uniforms? Should they bring back one of their own designs, or should they branch out and try something new, like the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers did with their all-white jerseys last year?
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If the mantra "look good, play good" holds any weight, a nice new pair of uniforms could be the perfect complement to a re-energized franchise looking to make a statement this year.