Atlanta Falcons New Jerseys Are Bland, Blah, And Boring

Anything would be an upgrade from the uniforms the Falcons have been wearing since 2020, especially those hideous gradient jerseys that only lasted a few seasons. But the reveal of their new uniforms this week left me staring at the screen saying, "That's it? Really?"

The Falcons said that this uniform design process took two years. 

"We looked at history. We reviewed every Falcons uniform set in history, and we realized that there were some common threads that bubbled up. One of them being the color red," said VP of Creative Larry Luk.

The design team explained how players like Matt Ryan, Michael Vick, and Julio Jones always envision themselves in red Falcons uniforms when they look back at playing for the team. They wanted to make sure red was incorporated in the home and away uniforms.

The "Behind the Design" video also breaks down the pants and helmet design, opting for white pants with a stripe "inspired by the 1966 Falcons design."

I do like the red numbers on the white away jerseys, and the jersey numbers in general. The Falcons describe the new numbering as, "Fully redesigned custom number set blends classic block structure with Falcons ownable detailing." The design team also reiterated, "Every single number was sweated and drawn to be an optimal version of that number."

My Unfiltered Take

When I first saw the uniform reveal, I thought of the Cracker Barrel design debacle. Of course, the old Cracker Barrel is not comparable to the atrocities of the previous Falcons uniforms, but what came to mind was, "Reject Modernity. Embrace Tradition."

I look back at the proposed Cracker Barrel design, which received relentless backlash leading to the restaurant chain resorting to sticking with their old logo, and this is what I think of the new Falcons jerseys. 

Sure, I'll admit the color combinations of the Falcons uniforms do have a crisp and clean look, but the jerseys are lackluster. I had a buddy of mine text me on Thursday, the day of the reveal, and he said, "I'm not a fan of the Falcons' new uniforms. Super bland. Looks like a T-shirt with numbers on it." I couldn't agree more.

Just look at the post below from the Falcons advertising the jerseys being available in the team store. They look like shirseys. In case you weren't aware, a "shirsey" is a portmanteau of "shirt" and "jersey," referring to a T-shirt that mimics a sports jersey, usually featuring a player's name and number on the back.

I really don't mean to be a curmudgeon or a killjoy, I swear. I can appreciate a classic look and feel, but classic shouldn't mean bland, blah, and boring. 

It just felt like a let-down. I relate it to looking at many of the modern buildings of our day, which seem to lack character. When I look at older buildings, I realize that they seem to have an intentional beauty to their architectural design, while modern buildings look more and more bland. 

My Rating

6/10. Simple doesn't have to be bland, but that's what I believe is the end result of this redesign. It lacks character. The Falcons went for classic, but they ended up being underwhelming. Which Falcons fans have been accustomed to throughout much of their history.