The 11 Coolest Helmets in Pro Football History

[Larry]

(Wish I had a post-game photo of Dave, with his son carrying his helmet. I think that would be my idea of a single picture to commemorate the Skins Glory Years.)

Wow. Google image search on "dave butz son", and look what the first hit was:

Link

(I recommend y'all check out the link, too.)

[PCS]

Bengals? :doh: Colts and Bills? :yawnee:

[Spaceman Spiff]

Bengals? :doh: Colts and Bills? :yawnee:

I like that old Bills helmet.

[HogNose]

No, I mean "How can you say the Broncos helmets are the ugliest in the NFL, when there's the Ravens?"

:doh: Ahh..yeah that damn Raven is awful. The original Raven logo was ok.

[RabidFan]

I dig the Bears as well....and the Vikings....they should be on the list. Skins had their own Green Bay knock off when Lombardi was coach. I love the Skins spear one as its best....seeing Sonny just air it out in that gives me goosebumps. NYG old and now present is pretty cool too. Cowboys? blech and boring.....Raiders could be in there too.....but I have to agree with number 1....seeing a toothless Lambert in that Steelers helmet was money.

[IHOPSkins]

Oilers, Bucs, and Patriots.

Three worst of all time, and he's got two of them in his top 10....

Concur

His list sucks

[IHOPSkins]

Wow. Google image search on "dave butz son", and look what the first hit was:

Link

http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/53007279.jpg?v=1&c=EWSAsset&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE6D12537E29204B6F50F1883A03CC3FAE

(I recommend y'all check out the link, too.)

Thanks Larry

Big Dave Butz

Nice Pic

[mjah]

The Broncos' old helmets -- their entire uniforms, in fact -- were easily among the worst in the NFL. Just godawful. They looked like the carpet selections in a 1972 Toledo ranch home. Throw in a dash of Harvest Gold, and they'd be a dead ringer.

The newer ones aren't perfect, but they're eons beyond that old Playskool garbage. Aside from the Packers, no NFL team colors should come from the Duplo school of design.

The old "Fey Buccaneer" and "Philadelphia Play-Doh Explosion" colors suffered from the same problem.

[HogNose]

After mentioning uni's..I have to say this is

the worst of the worst:

[Mark The Homer]

Crock. Fire this idiot.

[81artmonk]

Solely based on helmet design I would say the bengals. I think it's pretty cool that they have the whole thing in tiger stripes. Even though I am a fan of the redskins, we don't have the coolest helmet. One of, but not "the".

[Larry]

OK, so how much of a helmet's emotions are actually a reflection of the team's performance.

Example: The Bucs replaced a uniform that almost everybody agrees was gay. With a new uniform whose most-described characteristic is their pants.

How much of the fact that people almost universally agree that the Bucs new uniform is better than their old one, is due to the fact that the Bucs team doesn't stink in the legendary way they used to?

How much of the respect for the Steeler's helmet is because of the team's W-L records over the years?

Is it possible for a sucky team to have a good uniform, of vice versa?

[IHOPSkins]

....How much of the fact that people almost universally agree that the Bucs new uniform is better than their old one, is due to the fact that the Bucs team doesn't stink in the legendary way they used to?

Didn't the SWISHY Bucs eventually make it to the NFC Championship Game

With Dougy?

[19Skins72]

The Skins helmet with the spear is the greatest helmet in NFL history. And I'm not saying this because I'm a Skins fan either. :laugh:

Bias notwithstanding, I agree, and I'd like to see us replace our current helmet with the retro-spear helmet.

I'll go one step further, I prefer the whole retro-spear uniform.

[jrockster21]

Oilers, Bucs, and Patriots.

Three worst of all time, and he's got two of them in his top 10, and one as an hon mention :doh:

I want my 2 minutes back.

Really? The ghey pirate isn't very good, but the Oilers and Pats old-school helmets are pretty iconic. I think they belong on the list. :2cents:

[Teller]

Really? The ghey pirate isn't very good, but the Oilers and Pats old-school helmets are pretty iconic. I think they belong on the list. :2cents:

I'm glad somebody at least half agrees with me. I hated the old Pats helmets, but I really liked the old-school Oilers domepiece.

In all seriousness though, with all homerism aside, I think our current helmet belongs on the list somewhere. Maybe not at the top, but at least on the list. I guess that wouldn't be PC though.

I just don't think you can find a classier, more dignified and striking image in sports than our current logo. And of course we have the greatest color combo in the history of the world. (Ooops. Guess some of the homerism found its way back from "aside.") :laugh:

Also, I despise the Bucs, but their new-school pewter pirate helmets are pretty sweet. But all in all, I'd say my favorite non-skins helmet has to be Green Bay's. Just classic good taste right there.

[Larry]

I also think that when people are rating these things, that along with a team's performance, continuity counts for a lot.

I think a good bit of the love for GB and Pitt is because they haven't changed them every time they hire new head coach.

[mjah]

Is it possible for a sucky team to have a good uniform, of vice versa?

If the Packers didn't have their history, their uniform would be considered heinous. By any objective modern measure, the Pack looks terrible. It's the history that allows it to work.

[Big Mac Patty Wack]

Okay, the oil rig for the Oilers is not cool.

[Hubbs]

Even though the article was tongue-in-cheek, I can't figure out why the old Bucs helmet was up there when the new Bucs helmet is fantastic. I think it's easily one of the best in the league.

The Oilers are also iconic. Can't understand the hate there.

Honestly, Green Bay... not so much. People respect it because of the franchise, but by itself, it's a pretty damn ugly hat.

[Hubbs]

Okay, the oil rig for the Oilers is not cool.

But is it phat? Hot? Tight? Groovy? Tubular? Less filling?

[mjah]

The oil rig was pretty lackluster. The old Patriot didn't look like a football player -- although it didn't help that the look was associated with utter failure.

But I have to say the worst helmet in the league has to be the Miami Dolphins'.

They get a pass on the old-lady's-bathroom colors, sort of, because they're in Miami. But the mascot does them no favors. Flipper is the least menacing mascot in the NFL.

A seahawk can have talons. Meat packers might spear you with a hanging hook, or report you to the union or something. Gold prospectors have those sharp little tools, and they could be rich, with a gang of roustabouts-for-hire just waiting for you to walk to your mailbox alone. But a dolphin? What's it going to do to you, give-you-a-ride-on-its-back to death? Do cool somersault tricks until you get dizzy watching, fall into the water and drown?

Even all that is forgivable. But ultimately, it's the helmet's own lack of self-respect that just kills it among its peers. Because if you look closely at it, you'll notice that the Dolphin on the helmet is, itself, wearing a helmet.

A helmet for somebody else's team.

That's not a historical helmet for Miami. The "M" helmet is just some mysterious other team's helmet. Some mysterious, fictional other team.

So the Dolphins' own mascot would wear a nonexistent team's helmet, rather than wear the helmet of the team it represents -- even when said mascot is physically appearing on the Dolphins' helmet? Even then?

Hmm. Maybe that's a prescription helmet...

Worst in the league.

[eagleskins]

I personally think the Titans helmets are the best in the NFL.

[Dan T.]

The oil rig was pretty lackluster. The old Patriot didn't look like a football player -- although it didn't help that the look was associated with utter failure.

But I have to say the worst helmet in the league has to be the Miami Dolphins'.

They get a pass on the old-lady's-bathroom colors, sort of, because they're in Miami. But the mascot does them no favors. Flipper is the least menacing mascot in the NFL.

A seahawk can have talons. Meat packers might spear you with a hanging hook, or report you to the union or something. Gold prospectors have those sharp little tools, and they could be rich, with a gang of roustabouts-for-hire just waiting for you to walk to your mailbox alone. But a dolphin? What's it going to do to you, give-you-a-ride-on-its-back to death? Do cool somersault tricks until you get dizzy watching, fall into the water and drown?

Even all that is forgivable. But ultimately, it's the helmet's own lack of self-respect that just kills it among its peers. Because if you look closely at it, you'll notice that the Dolphin on the helmet is, itself, wearing a helmet.

A helmet for somebody else's team.

That's not a historical helmet for Miami. The "M" helmet is just some mysterious other team's helmet. Some mysterious, fictional other team.

So the Dolphins' own mascot would wear a nonexistent team's helmet, rather than wear the helmet of the team it represents -- even when said mascot is physically appearing on the Dolphins' helmet? Even then?

Hmm. Maybe that's a prescription helmet...

Worst in the league.

If the Dolphin on the helmet wore the helmet with the actual logo, it would BLOW PEOPLE'S MINDS. Because the helmet on the logo would have to have the helmet with the logo. And that helmet would have to have the logo. And that helmet would have to have the logo. And THAT helmet would have to have the logo. And so on. You would end up with infinity Dolphins wearing infinity helmets.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

If the Dolphin on the helmet wore the helmet with the actual logo, it would BLOW PEOPLE'S MINDS. Because the helmet on the logo would have to have the helmet with the logo. And that helmet would have to have the logo. And that helmet would have to have the logo. And THAT helmet would have to have the logo. And so on. You would end up with infinity Dolphins wearing infinity helmets.

:laugh:

Like Colbert's painting.