Josh Allen, arguably the NFL’s best player, is a company man and great teammate for the Buffalo Bills, but Wednesday’s defense of the indefensible new uniforms the team is rolling out in the coming NFL season was too much.
After the Bills finished their first practice, Allen sat down with reporters for his first news conference of training camp. The questions and answers were routine and mostly focused on all that is new with the club – new season, new coach, new schemes, new stadium.
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When the questions were seemingly all done, Allen pivoted to the team’s new alternate uniforms.
Unsolicited, the quarterback took up defense for the so-called Nickel City unis. Those nickel gray uniforms include a “charge” helmet insignia but no trademark Buffalo. They are, the Bills say, inspired by grain elevators, steel mills and rail yards.
They are meant to represent the blue collar nature of the region.
Except a lot of folks both in the region and out hate them.
Hate.
“…Stop hating on the jerseys, guys,” Allen said before he finished his news conference. “I don’t know, if you guys are hating anything, I don’t know. I don’t see anything, but they’re, they’re great. I honestly like them.
“Speaking of new, right? It’s a new look. It is. I understand that, but we gotta be new. And I think these jerseys kind of are symbolic of that. And I’m excited to wear them. We had a lot of people that put in a lot of hard work for these jerseys, and It just, it symbolizes a lot of newness, and that I am excited about.”
Allen continued his defense of the gray duds when he was asked about last year’s alternate all white uniform, which was well-received. Allen seemingly likes the grays better.
“We didn’t win any games in all white, so absolutely,” he said. “Otherwise, is that one or this one better than that? Time will tell.
“I’ve heard a lot of comments about the Jerseys. I enjoy them. I think it’s very symbolic of what we want to do and what we want to be. I understand people want the old jerseys and the old helmets and all that, but at some point, too, we are moving forward. We have to move forward and do something new.
“That’s what we’re doing.”
That is one way to think about this. But here’s what the Bills should have done:
This year is the 250th anniversary of the United States. The NFL has embraced America 250 as a celebration. We’ve seen much love for the red, white and blue throughout the media, in the branding of national products, and obviously during the Independence Day holiday.
The Bills, coincidentally, boast red, white, and blue as their signature color scheme.
And nobody thought to make the obvious connection to America 250?
Nobody thought to somehow incorporate those national colors this year for the team’s alternate uniform over “Nickel City” gray, which makes players more closely resemble Confederate soldiers?
The Bills have not yet announced when they will wear their alternate grays this season. They’re expected to wear them twice.
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