Chicago Bears Nike Uniforms: Grading New Home and Away 2012 Jerseys

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Tuesday marked the official passing of the torch from Reebok to Nike for NFL apparel, and the new look of the Chicago Bears is out.

Brian Urlacher was selected as the runway model of sorts and was shot wearing the Bears’ blue home jerseys with white pants. The new duds are going to be a tighter fit and lighter weight—a la what many college teams are currently wearing.

So, how does the new look and accessories look? Do the gloves match the cleats? Is there any bright, funky orange that looks like it’s from the Oregon school of overkill to worry about?

Read on to check out all of the new pictures that Nike has released of a Bears team with championship aspirations in 2012. 

Home

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Grade: B

Look familiar?

The home uniforms will not be featuring any drastic alterations. The classic navy blue is draped across the chest with three stripes on the sleeves.

The pants are plain white, and the socks help them stick out.

Not a whole lot has changed for one of the oldest franchises in the sport...and that’s just the way fans like it.   

Road

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Nike has yet to reveal the road white unis, but check back for the latest reaction once they come out. 

In the meantime, let's focus on the V-neck of sorts that will be on the front of both the home and away jersey. It's the same dark navy blue as the majority of the jersey, with three shiny lines that converge in the middle at the NFL logo. 

Lookin' good, but I wonder if the viewer will be able to pick it up through a TV. 

Back of Jersey

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Notice the tiny holes around the shoulders? 

That's part of the new Nike technology that reduces the weight of the jersey and is supposed to make the players faster. 

Gotta let those shoulders breathe! 

Gloves

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Grade: A

Nike is making every teams' gloves really pop out, and the Bears' rendition is no different. The complex design with the orange base make it the most futuristic looking part of the look. 

New wide receiver Brandon Marshall will be looking good in these bad boys. 

Shoes

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Grade: C

This is the boldest part of the new outfit. The blue and orange complement each other rather well with the extremely bright color scheme.

Yet I can't help but think of Boise State when I look at them. I certainly don't think about the Chicago Bears.

The Denver Broncos have the exact same style, with the only difference being that the orange is the dominant color.

Pants

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Grade: B

Just glancing at the pants, all you see is white. But upon closer look, there are three stripes draped down the sides. 

Its a subtle change, but it's a necessary addition to one of the more bland uniforms in the league. 

Final Grade

Photo via Nike's Facebook

Final Grade: B-

The overall look of the uniform really isn't that different at all. The color scheme is essentially the exact same as when Reebok was in charge, and the pants are pretty standard. 

But this is a franchise (and fanbase) that really prides itself in its history. Drastically altering the look would not go over well with most fans. 

The V-neck addition is cool, but I'm not sure it will show up on TV.

The reason the grade isn't higher is the brightness of the cleats. It seems a bit much and will likely be the first thing you notice when watching the team play.

The Bears will enter the 2012 season looking very similar to the way they did in 2011, and that's just fine. 

 

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