2012 NFL Jerseys: Classic NFL Looks That Nike Should Leave Alone

The times, they are a-changin' in the National Football League, as April 1st marked the beginning of a five-year partnership between the NFL and Nike, who has become the league's official apparel provider after Reebok held that position for the past decade.

The highlight of Nike's roll-out comes on Tuesday, when the new jerseys of all 32 teams will be unveiled. While news of a few tweaks has leaked out, it's highly unlikely that the NFL would allow any team to be turned into the Oregon Ducks, regardless of what Nike's brand president, Charlie Denson, told USA Today:

"

We plan on changing the NFL jersey dramatically just like we've done with the college programs, using new thinking and the greatest technology available. The NFL program hasn't had the same type of advancement in recent years.

"

In fact, there are some classic NFL uniforms that Phil Knight's design team should just leave alone altogether, as sometimes, there's no point in fixing things that aren't broken.

Chicago Bears

While there have been a few small changes (including an orange alternate jersey that makes my head hurt), the Chicago Bears, who have prowled the gridiron in the Windy City since 1921, have had more or less the same uniforms since 1970, when the players' names were added to the backs of jerseys.

Much of the elegance of the Bears helmets and jerseys lies in their simplicity, and I'm fairly sure that if Nike changed Chicago's helmet color from navy to white—as in this photo of a fake concept sketch that was leaked onto the web in November—Bears fans would have a collective stroke.

Green Bay Packers

If there's a city in the National Football League in which time has stood still, it's Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest of the 32 host cities.

This way of life is reflected in the uniforms of the hometown Packers, which have gone relatively unchanged for the past half-century.

As such, any variation of the Packers' classic green and gold (I know, it's yellow, but they call it gold) would likely be met with derision, and anything drastic would probably cause Nike to be pelted with bratwurst by the Green Bay faithful.

Cleveland Browns

I'll grant you that as a Cleveland Browns fan, this is something of a selfish request, and I realize that a lot of people think that the Browns uniforms are ugly.

The thing is, most Cleveland fans agree that they're ugly. We prefer them that way.

Supporters of the Browns have already been subjected to just about every form of psychological and emotional trauma that a fan can endure, from Red Right 88 to "The Fumble" to having their team yanked out from underneath them.

So, can we just forget about those horrible orange jerseys and get down to the business of assembling a competitive football team?

Please?

Follow @IDPManor