A Look at the Cincinnati Bengals' New Nike Uniforms

The much-hyped arrival of Nike as NFL apparel provider for 2012 culminated when uniforms for all 32 of the league's teams were revealed in New York earlier today.

While the Seattle Seahawks have received an Oregon-style overhaul that has been greeted with a fair share of criticism, the vast majority of uniforms remain very much unchanged.

With the potential for Nike to change uniforms next year, Seattle seem to have functioned as a guinea pig in 2012, with the Swoosh hoping that others will invite similar changes next year.

However, the Bengals uniform remains distinctly similar to its previous incarnation, with a few minor alterations.

Cleats

This addition to the uniform is a fairly tempered one. A simple combo of orange and light black gives a sharp and clean look. The liberal use of orange on them really makes them pop.

Gloves

These vapor jet gloves come straight out of the college playbook and are a particularly garish addition to the uniforms. 

If these things don't promote excessive celebrating, I don't know what does.

There's also something strangely unprofessional about them. This looks like something Jay-Z does on stage.

We know what team you play for; you are wearing their uniform.

It won't be long until this craze is in the rearview mirror.

Front View

Courtesy of @UniWatch

Here's what the new home strip looks like in the flesh. The most noticeable change comes in the form of the collar.

This change seems to be the same for all 32 teams, and it looks a little bit out of place on the Cincy strip. That may be due to the fact that we are all so accustomed to the orange collar, but only time will tell.

No significant changes elsewhere, but the jersey is tighter and less clunky looking.

As mentioned previously, if crazier designs are in the pipeline, they won't come until next year.

Nike Promo: Front View

If you weren't sold on the new design, this image makes it look pretty sharp.

We also get a glimpse of the black-shirt-black-pants combo too.

It's a tempered start to Nike's relationship with the Bengals. Known for their "out-there" uniforms, many had expected Cincinnati to come out with something a bit off the wall.

However, as with many other teams, the Bengals did not want to do a Maryland, and what we are left with are some pretty nice new uniforms.

Nike Promo: From the Back

Here, we get a look from the back.

The white stripes down the sides of the jersey have been a gripe of Bengals fans, but Nike has done a great job of making them blend into the pants to give a streamlined look.

We can also note that there is no change to the helmets, which are some of the league's more creative lids.

Let us know what you think of the uniforms in the comments section.