5 Worst NFL Uniforms: Who Nike Should Change in 2012

As most sports fans know, Nike will take over the NFL apparel next year from Reebok. They have already posted a video to YouTube, narrated by Michael Irvin, saying there will be an "Epic Transformation" on Sundays. It's clear that the company has changed the way teams look on the college level with their "Pro Combat" uniforms (see Michigan State, Stanford, Ohio State) and wild amount of uniform combinations and designs (Oregon, Boise State), but should we expect the same thing for the NFL?

The NFL is known for having very strict guidelines on uniforms. The "No Fun League" as some people call it, has in the past fined players for wearing their socks incorrectly or for wearing the wrong color of shoes so it's doubtful that Nike will be able to come in and change things drastically. In fact, teams are not allowed to change uniforms more than once every five years. That being said, there are some teams who are in a major need of a uniform change.

Here are the top five...

Honorable Mentions: Jacksonville Jaguars/Atlanta Falcons

The Jaguars couldn't go into the top five because of the NFL uniforms rules. Jacksonville changed their unis before the 2009 season, so it's unlikely we will see any design changes next year. What we WILL see is an all-black third jersey, according to Drew Hampton, who is the Jags equipment manager.

Atlanta's uniform isn't that bad, but they look MUCH cleaner when they take the field in their 1966 throwback jersey.

#5: Denver Broncos

Nike took over NFL uniforms in 1997, and Denver worked with them to radically change the Broncos look. These threads created quite a stir, mostly negative, but Elway and Denver went on the win the Super Bowl the season they debuted, along with the season after.

In 2002 a orange alternate jersey was introduced and quickly became the fan favorite. It's confirmed that the "orange crush" will actually wear orange as their primary jersey starting in 2012, but it is not certain whether or not the design will change also. Maybe it should change, it worked last time.

#4: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were founded in 1898 and are the oldest continuously running American professional football franchise, so wouldn't it make sense to have more classic looking uniforms?

Their current duds were introduced in 2005 and have been hideous ever since. Black became an accent color and then became the color of their alternate jersey in 2010, which make Arizona look like Atlanta Falcons knockoffs.

#3: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are another team who look much better in their throwback jerseys. Their jerseys were redesigned in 2006 and that was a mistake. Minnesota looked much better during the Culpepper/Moss/Carter era when they had grey facemasks and a more simple look.

This is an example of a team getting rid of a classic, good looking design and replacing it with what they think is more futuristic and sleek. This may appeal to a younger audience but many football fans like the old school look. Which the Vikings had from 1961-2005.

#2: Cincinnati Bengals

Simply put, the Bengals need to tone down the stripes.

The helmet is actually pretty cool because it sets them apart from the rest of the league, but having stripes on the sleeves and the pants is overkill. The drop shadow number and inconsistencies between players jerseys also hurt the overall look of the team. Cincy is in a major need of a change in 2012.

#1: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks road jersey is actually not that bad but the home jersey is awful. An all "Seahawks Blue" combination is about as depressing as Seattle weather. When they broke out their lime green alternates against the Bears in 2009 it was laughable.

Nike could do a lot of good by redesigning the Seahawks to go back to silver and royal blue as the primary colors. Maybe something similar to the days of Dave Kreig.