What I've learned in the months since the Bengals announced that the team would be wearing new uniforms is that for as much as I claim to be a bit of a uniform and apparel nerd, my level of nerdiness is way, way, behind those who obsess over every minor detail of uniform design, so I'll leave the deep dive into the particulars of the Bengals new look to those folks and keep my thoughts brief.
It is hard enough to be a Bengals fan, but to have lived through the past 16 years watching them attired the way they were often made the experience doubly painful. Since day one, I hated the unis the Bengals wore from 2004 through 2020, for a lot of different reasons, mainly that they were just too busy.
In anticipation of the new look, my expectations haven't been very high, mainly because most new NFL uniform reveals leave me either uninspired or wondering what narcotics the person who designed them was high on. I wasn't expecting a total overhaul, nor was I compelled to push for any of the thousands of online mock-ups floating around the internet.
All I wanted was something simpler and less offensive to the eyes.
Simply put, these accomplish those goals.
Are they the best uniforms in the NFL? By no stretch, but they're a significant upgrade from what the Bengals have been wearing since '04, with a simpler, cleaner look that's not at all visually unappealing or offensive and meshes well with the striped helmet that I like less than others, but didn't see a pressing need to get rid of.
I don't feel compelled to go out an buy a new jersey, mainly because I don't wear jerseys of contemporary players, but if someone gifted me one or paid to me wear one, I wouldn't feel embarrassed by the sheer aesthetic of what I was wearing.
Working within the framework of my expectations, I dig these. And I'll dig them more if I can ultimately associate them with on-field success.
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