Bucs uniforms rank among NFL’s worst

TAMPA — Sporting News ranked all 32 NFL uniforms for 2019, and only six teams ranked worse than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tadd Haislop’s rankings took into consideration the entire uniform scheme for each team, including home and away combinations, the throwback unis and the Color Rush uniforms.

“These uniforms are bad, but at least they’re unique,” Haislop said about the Bucs.

Haislop raved that Tampa Bay has one of the best looking helmets in the league, but the number font and creamsicle color scheme need to change. Fast.

His rankings:

1. Dallas Cowboys - Haislop called their look “equally iconic and unique.”

2. Seattle Seahawks - Haislop said “the all-neon Color Rush uniforms are pretty cool.”

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - Haislop thinks the traditional black-and-yellow uniforms look as good as ever, but their throwback uniforms can join the Packers’ throwback unis in the trash.

4. Green Bay Packers - Haislop said the white pants should be featured more frequently and pair nicely with the cheesehead helmets, but the throwbacks shouldn’t be on the field, they belong in the garbage.

5. Oakland Raiders - Haislop said the simple look befits the Raiders, it works. “All classic. All sharp,” he said.

6. Los Angeles Chargers - Haislop thinks the Chargers belong in the top-10 solely because the powder blue uniforms will be predominantly featured in their 2019 season. That combined with the gold face masks makes them one of the best looking teams in the league.

7. Los Angeles Rams - The Rams’ helmet design is one of the best on the field, but the franchise has been stuck in uniform limbo until it moves stadiums in 2020.

8. Baltimore Ravens - Haislop said the Ravens get major points for their mix and match look and their only fault is an outdated number font. Haislop complemented the fact they have stuck to using gold only for lining on some aspects of the uniform.

9. Philadelphia Eagles - Haislop thinks the current Eagles look is fine the way it is and doesn’t need any kind of adjustments, with their helmets ranking among the best in the league

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10. Kansas City Chiefs - Haislop himself said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” regarding “the perfect blend of coloring, with the gold complimenting the red in the number trim and sleeve/pants striping," for the Chiefs. The franchise’s only fault is a blank white bumper above the facemask on their helmets.

11. Detroit Lions - The Lions were smart to ditch the black featured color in the uniform, per Haislop. He cites the number font as their only fault.

12. Miami Dolphins - Haislop said the only bad thing about the Dolphins uniforms is their aqua-on-aqua look, which they smartly avoided last season with their update.

13. Washington - Haislop isn’t a fan of Washington’s throwback uniforms, however, he says the franchise is a great example of why three color choices work.

14. New York Jets - Haislop loves the new Jets unis. “'Gotham’ green was smart,” he said, and cites the only reason why they are not ranked higher on the list is because they have yet to make their debut on the field.

15. Cincinnati Bengals - Haislop is also a big fan of the Bengals striping on the helmets, however, he thinks they could use a little bit of an update. A change to the number font would also be a welcome adjustment in his eyes.

16. Buffalo Bills - Haislop thinks the Bills are close to perfection in their uniforms but fall short when they do a Color Rush red (which “most would admit is more red than even the Kool-Aid Man could handle") or the blue-on-blue with the white helmets, which comes off as a bit of a mismatch.

17. Tennessee Titans - The new uniforms grew on NFL watchers throughout the 2018 season. Haislop said the shift to a navy blue helmet from a white helmet was a good move. The only knock in his eyes is the number font.

18. Denver Broncos - Haislop is not a fan of the Broncos look, saying the franchise is stuck in the 90s. He said the most outdated feature on their uniforms is the striping.

19. New Orleans Saints - Haislop commends the Saints for their Color Rush uniforms from the gold helmets to an all-white look, but he thinks that the normal look for New Orleans "is unnecessarily plain and boring.”

20. San Francisco 49s - Despite their bland look, Haislop believes they use an ideal blend of colors in their uniforms. However, maybe the 49s should stay away from the solid black Color Rush unis paired with the traditional all-gold helmet.

21. Atlanta Falcons - Haislop says Atlanta’s current uniforms (especially their striping) is stuck in 2003. However, a blast from the past (specifically, 1966-89) may not be a bad move for the franchise since “they were by far the best in franchise history.”

22. Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings current uniform scheme misses the mark, Haislop says. “The classic horns on the helmets are great, but the matte finish, paired with black facemasks, doesn’t work.” He also believes the numbers could use some better trim work and lose the matte finish.

23. New York Giants - Haislop likes the Color Rush uniforms so much he thinks the Giants should use it as their full-time away look with the home jerseys using an inverse-color scheme.

24. Chicago Bears - Haislop finds the Bears’ uniforms dull, but likes the idea that they stick with some tradition. “As blasphemous as it sounds, a styling change in the number font and sleeve striping could work wonders,” he said. Haislop would also like to see some experimentation with white facemasks.

25. Indianapolis Colts - If there’s one thing Haislop hates the most about the NFL uniforms, it’s Indianapolis’ black cleats. “Pick up every pair of black cleats he or she can find, throw them in a pile, soak them in kerosene and burn them to ashes,” he said.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Haislop isn’t a big fan on Tampa Bay’s number font, “which tries to be pirate-scratch styled but instead comes off looking like a Casio digital clock.” He thinks the all-red Color Rush unis are also a step in the right direction.

27. Houston Texans - In Haislop’s opinion, the only thing keeping Houston at 27 instead of further down on the list is their helmets. The uniforms overall are simple enough to not be considered ugly, but they’re boring and he thinks the franchise is due for its first uniform update.

28. Arizona Cardinals - “These uniforms were cool when they debuted almost 15 years ago. Now they’re just outdated and, frankly, ugly,” Haislop said. Yikes. However, Haislop does enjoy the all-black jersey with the stripe extending down the white pants.

29. Carolina Panthers - Despite having one of the best color schemes in the league, Haislop thinks this franchise’s uniform design is stuck in 1995. He thinks it was a good move to bring the black pants into more games, but the next one should be removing silver from Carolina’s color scheme altogether or at least removing the silver helmet and pants.

30. Cleveland Browns - Haislop thinks the Browns went too Cleveland with their redesign in 2015 with “Cleveland” on the chest and “Browns” down the side of the pants, and the brown facemask were definitely a step in the wrong direction. “Also: No, Cleveland’s Color Rush uniforms do not look good. They resemble a turd from a dog that has recently consumed an orange crayon.” But Haislop thinks that change is coming for the Browns and in his mind, it can’t come soon enough.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars - Haislop gives credit to Jacksonville in that its current uniforms look better than the last set. Getting rid of the gold was a good move, however, “the Jaguars’ current uniform design appears to have taken a grand total of zero creativity to fashion." Haislop says the franchise doesn’t take up the opportunities it has for redesign with a good color palette.

32. New England Patriots - Haislop ranks New England last because he doesn’t think any kind of revision will come in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. After wearing the same look for 20 years, Haislop finds the Color Rush uniforms dull and the striping to be mismatched from head to toe. However, he thinks the throwback look is the best.

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.