National Football League Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Oct212015 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

All-Time NFL Franchise Rankings, 2015 Edition

Sports

My NFL franchise ranking is now in its third year, despite the tardiness this season. So if you've read the 2013 or 2014 editions, you know what to expect here. Also, be sure to check out all my other great sports lists as well! The Criteria The categories and point values are as follows: 25 points for a championship game/Super Bowl win, 15 points for a championship game/Super Bowl loss (starting in 1932). 5 points for a season with a playoff appearance (starting in 1967), and 8 points for a season with a playoff win. 1 point for a winning regular-season record, -1 point for a losing regular-season record. 3 points for any year with a regular-season winning percentage of at least .750, -3 points for a regular-season winning percentage of .250 or less. Consecutive winning r...

Feb242015 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s the New Cleveland Browns Logo, Let’s Look At It

Sports

Forget the NFL Combine and pre-draft hype, or even the "who will move to Los Angeles?" rumor mill -- the juiciest piece of NFL news this month is the unveiling of the new Cleveland Browns logo. The visual identity of the Browns really hasn't changed in a substantial way since the team's inception (in the AAFC) in 1946. Sure, they've dabbled with different mascots and even rolled out a few alternate logos in 2003, but by and large the Browns have always been the Browns. An orange-ish helmet with no logo is as much an NFL trademark as is the Raiders' iconic pirate or the Cowboys' star. (As a subtle reminder, you can check out my rankings of all NFL logos on my Sports Lists page.) So now the big day is finally here, and here is what the Browns have ushered in for their new logo (from...

Aug12014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

All-Time NFL Franchise Rankings, 2014 Edition

Football Friday, Sports

With training camp upon us and the 2014 NFL season just around the corner, it's time to revisit my list ranking all 32 franchises from best to worst. For reference, here is last year's list. And don't forget to check out all my other fantastic sports lists as well! I didn't see the need to introduce any major changes to my calculation system, other than to penalize teams for losing seasons. Also, I did go back and correct some data entry errors I discovered. None of this had a noticeable impact on the rankings, as no team moved more than two places from the 2013 list. The Criteria The categories and point values are as follows: 25 points for a championship game/Super Bowl win, 15 points for a championship game/Super Bowl loss (starting in 1932). 5 points for a season with a play...

Jul222014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Say Hello to the World Football League

Ephemera, Sports

I know you've missed my regular blog updates over the last month, but my absence is not without purpose. You see, I've been hard at work filling out my latest site project, The Press Room. And I have an exciting update to share, at least for football nerds. I now have as part of the Press Room a host or programs and media guides for the short-lived World Football League (WFL). The WFL lasted just short of two full seasons, starting play in 1974 and pulling the plug in October 1975. The history of the WFL is an interesting one, but that's for other sites - like Fun While It Lasted - to handle. What I'm really interested in are the really cool programs the league produced. And while they had their share of duds, there were some real winners too. Here are just a few (click on a program ...

May192014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Worst Sports Cards Ever #2: MacArthur Lane (Topps 1972)

Ephemera, Sports

In my Worst Sports Cards Ever series, I look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the long and spotty history of sports trading cards. --- I can only imagine that few things sent trading card companies into a tizzy like an offseason trade. I'm sure the lead time needed to pull off a nice-looking card is pretty lengthy; especially so in the pre-digital days. So what happens when a player switches teams and a company such as, say, Topps has to scramble at the 11th hour to reflect that change? You get a card like #151 from the Topps 1972 NFL set, for running back MacArthur Lane. It seems likely that Topps was all ready to go in early 1972 with an image of Lane with his then-current team, the St. Louis Cardinals. But then he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in February of ...

May162014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Pennant Fever #3: 1966 Atlanta Falcons

Auction Finds, Football Friday, Sports

Since their founding in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons have maintained a fairly consistent brand identity. Sure, colors change and logos are modified, but the basic look has remained intact. So that's why I was surprised to see this pennant on eBay, purportedly from the team's inaugural season. Almost nothing from this pennant seems to have found its way into the team's branding, apart from the shade of red. That makes me wonder if this wasn't produced before the logo and wordmark for the team was ever made public. I don't know what the lead time was for pennant manufacturing but I'm guessing this is the case. Another possible explanation is that this was a prototype logo that lost out to the now-familiar one. Either way, it's another fascinating piece of 1960s NFL memorabilia. ...

Nov272013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Football Friday: Thanksgiving’s Best NFL Teams

Football Friday, Sports

Thanksgiving turkey and the National Football League -- one of the finest traditions in all of American sports. And, as it turns out, one of the longest-lived as well. Since the NFL's inception in 1920, at least one game has been played every Thanksgiving, and since 2006 three are played. Most fans associate the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys with the now-dubbed Thanksgiving Classic series, and for good reason. The Lions and Cowboys have played the most Thanksgiving games ever, with 72 and 44 respectively through the 2012 season. Following behind are the Green Bay Packers (34), Chicago Bears (31), and Arizona Cardinals (23). Of these five teams, however, only the Cowboys and Bears sport a winning Thanksgiving record. Here are the ten NFL teams with the most wins and highest win...

Oct252013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s Some Neat Late ’60s NFL and AFL Pins

Auction Finds, Football Friday, Sports

Based on a number of things I see in this photo of classic AFL/NFL pins, I'm guessing these were produced between 1968 and 1971. The reason I'm guessing '68 at the earliest is that we have a Cincinnati Bengals pin, and they didn't start play in the AFL until that year. Likewise, the Boston Patriots changed their name to New England Patriots in the spring of 1971, so it seems unlikely that these were produced after then. Elsewhere, we've got some sweet old logos for the 49ers, Rams, Oilers, Cardinals, and Packers.

Oct112013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Jack Kirby’s 1973 NFL Artwork Is Fantastic, Trippy As Hell

Football Friday, Sports

It's hard to believe now, but in the early '70s the National Football League wasn't nearly as stifled and humorless as it is now. As proof of that, I present these pieces of original, commissioned artwork drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby for the NFL in 1973. These fantastic illustrations were included as part of the October 21, 1973 issue of Pro!, the official magazine of the National Football League that was sold at every game, in a piece entitled "Out of Mind's Reach." They depict, among other things, futuristic versions of NFL players in action. I think my favorite one is for the Packers, who have somehow adopted an aquatic theme. Perhaps Wisconsin has warmed enough in the future to make that a practical move.