Greatest Uniform Debate: 1973 Los Angeles Rams Versus 1960 Philadelphia Eagles

Last week, we pressed everyone in Rams Nation to head over to NFL.com and support your Rams’ organization in the battle for the Greatest Uniform in NFL History. In case you are “behind the ball,” Dave Dameshek has put together an all-encompassing bracket combining the greatest throwbacks of all time and the current jerseys of all 32 teams.

The brackets are split into four regions: AFC Throwbacks, NFC Throwbacks, AFC Uniforms, and NFC Uniforms. Each team will essentially have two opportunities to take home the crown, with a handful of exceptions. Since these are “throwbacks,” some teams’ jerseys will be dated back into another city. For example, the Los Angeles Rams, St. Louis Cardinals, and Houston Oilers will all have their shot at taking home the crown. Other, newer teams will have an alternate jersey for their “throwback,” such as the Houston Texans in their 2007-2010 alternates or the Carolina Panthers in the 2012 jerseys.

The first and second rounds of the tournament are already out of the way, leaving only four teams in each region; we’ll call it the Sweet Sixteen. Sadly, and unjustly, the St. Louis Rams’ current jerseys were knocked out of the first round by the current 49ers’ jersey. In fact, in the NFC Uniforms region, only the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers are left standing. However, that doesn’t mean the Rams are out of it…

In the first round, the 1973-1980 Los Angeles Rams throwbacks took out the disgustingly bland 1980-1999 New York Giants jerseys, winning by an impressive 19,305 votes; we will assume is was all random New Yorkers voting for the “bad guys.” In the second round, the Rams had a much tougher opponent, the 1965-1968 Washington Redskins. While the arrowhead-spear was iconic back in the late-60s, it did not hold a torch to the L.A. Rams uniforms, losing by 12,479 votes. So, who is up next?

Voting is currently underway in the third round, where the Rams are facing off against the 1960-1963 Philadelphia Eagles throwbacks. In Dameshek’s random, subjective rankings, he managed to put the Eagles’ as the No. 1 seed in the NFC Throwbacks division. That is hard to imagine given that actual look of the jerseys. Imagine a single, slightly off-green uniform with absolutely no other detailing. No color contrast, no stylish stitching, no anything. Then, throw that same color up on the helmet, but have a three-year-old girl attempt to draw eagles’ wings with a silver Sharpie. Go it? That is the 1960-1963 Philadelphia Eagles uniform.

While the color on the jersey might “pop” against the bright white bottoms, the uniform reminds you of the current New York Jets styling, which no one wants to be associated with at this point. And, while the Eagles’ actual logo at the time was likely one of the greatest of all time, the design of their jerseys simply was not.

For now, the slight majority of voters are on that same page. The 1970s Los Angeles Rams are currently in the lead with 16,535 votes over the 1960s Eagles with 14,354 votes. The L.A. Rams have a solid shot at knocking off the top seed in the NFC Throwbacks and, if they do, could have an easy road through the Elite Eight into the Four Four. Should the “Golden Horns” win, they face the winner of the 1966-1967 Atlanta Falcon vs. 2012 Carolina Panthers (alternates) battle. However, like any good coach would say, “Lets take this one game at a time…”

Make sure to head over to the Greatest Uniform in NFL History voting page  and cast your ballot for the Los Angeles Rams. Like we said last time, the Rams were the original trend-setters of the league, and they should be recognized accordingly!