Dolphins Officially Show New Uniforms

LOOKING AHEAD

By John Turney

CBS Miami

Above are the new Dolphins uniform that was leaked last month and then officially announced a couple of days later (April 23, 2013). Apparently, this uniform was a collaboration between Nike and Scott  Faries, a designer who worked for the NFL in some design capacity.

The color of aqua is said to be "brighter" as is the orange that captures the "city’s modern, cutting-edge characteristics".  Further, according to Nike, "Miami’s sun and South Florida waters serve as the foundation for the Dolphins uniform aesthetic. The updated hues reflect the blues in the water, as well as the orange in the sun and glow of the city".

The uniform will be the Nike Elite 51 uniform design and according to Todd Van Horne, Global VP and Creative Director for Nike Football it "is a true reflection of their culture – modern, refined and bold. This highly innovative uniform system allows for zero distractions on the field and provides a fresh updated look to take the team into the 2013 season.“

Zero distractions? That has to be a good thing, right?

The release goes on, "The new helmet sheen features a sparkled finish to reflect the sand, as well as a refined stripe pattern with a pop of orange, to highlight the horizon. The same stripe pattern is carried throughout the uniform into the new number and font design and through the stripe in the pant."

“As an athlete, you don’t want to worry about your uniform out on the field. It’s good that Nike thinks about the details so we don’t have to,” said Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace. "Look good, feel good, play good — that’s what it’s all about.”

The Dolphins Hall of Fame QB alumni were certainly on board—"It’s fine. It's about looking forward and a new vision for the Dolphins" said, Dan Marino. “But the bottom line, and we all know it, it's about winning football games. It don’t matter what the logo is if you’re winning.”

Bob Griese added “I never was a big fan of a dolphin with a helmet on it,” said Griese, preferring the new "realistic" figure on the helmet. “I think it looks confident, it looked stronger, it looks ready to battle.”

The "realistic" new Dolphin

Dolphins CEO  said “The old logo was kind of the dolphin dancing on top of the water at the dolphin show. This logo was more about the dolphin swimming in the wild and being at its maximum force.”

Get it? MAXIMUM FORCE. Wasn't that a video game? But, we digress.

According to ESPN, "One of the early complaints from Miami fans is the eyes of the dolphin are smaller and appear to be nearly closed."

Of the power of the Dolphin, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote—

’The logo is interesting to me because it is the most controversial change of the team’s new look. It’s also less cartoonish now. It’s no longer wearing the helmet with its signature “M.”

Some people say it looks like a squeezed wedge of Aquafresh toothpaste. Others mock that it looks like a whale. Others say the old logo made the dolphin seem strong and this one makes the animal seem weak. 

Well, the truth is the Dolphins actually called marine biologists and asked at what point a dolphin is at its strongest. And the answer, the club tells me, is not after the mammal has breached the water’s surface, which is what the old logo depicts. Indeed, this is when the animal is most vulnerable. 

The answer is the dolphin is strongest in nature just prior to the animal’s breach of the water when all its muscles are flexed. And that’s what the new logo is said to depict. I cannot account for that. I’m just passing it along."

We don't know about all that. Our view is this uniform is okay, we'd give it a passing grade. Call it a "C".

We'd give this one an "A"—