The past is back with the Washington Commanders returning to their original uniforms, and like the fans, the franchise's alumni agree that the look is just as fresh as it was 30 years ago.
"That thing is poppin'," Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green said of the new helmet on the "Command Center" podcast live show at Franklin Hall.
The Commanders' new uniform closet, which is mostly a return to the classic colors and look that the franchise had when they won three Super Bowl titles, has received almost universal praise from the fan base. Features like the block numbers, stripes on the helmet and pants and even the spear are all back and here to stay, evoking strong memories of the franchise's glory days when the team was a powerhouse in the conference.
For Washington's alumni, the return to the iconic look sends a clear message: the organization's leadership gets it and understands the significance of maintaining the legacy they helped create.
"You look at those colors, and you look at that scheme that they had, you automatically knew what it was about," former Washington running back Brian Mitchell told Commanders host Bryan Colbert Jr.
The colors are what alumni like Green and Mitchell seem to care about the most. Mitchell pointed out teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were founded around the same time as Washington, have had the same colors for decades and established a brand with their black and gold uniforms. Mitchell puts Washington on the same level as the Steelers in terms of brand recognition, particularly when they were at their peak in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
The alumni also have more personal connections to the colors. For Green, who played a franchise-record 295 regular season games over the course of his 20-year career, the colors remind him of what the team looked like when he was drafted following its Super Bowl victory in 1982. He remembers the fanbase going "crazy" when Washington drafted him and how they supported him throughout his career.
The fans were the first thing that came to Green's mind when he got an early look at the uniforms. When he saw the helmets with the right shade of burgundy, he said to himself that "this is it," and that the fans were going to love it.
"Yes, it's this," Green said, referring to the uniform. "But it was also the crowd, and the colors, and the stadium, and all of the fixings...on a meal. This is one of your main dishes on the plate. You gotta have this."
For former players like Andre Collins, who spent the first five seasons of his career with Washington and helped the franchise win a Super Bowl in 1991, the return of the classic looks helps rekindle the connection they had with the team. Collins understood several of the changes Washington made in recent years, including the rebranding from Redskins to Commanders, but he felt like there was a disconnect that at least partially stemmed from the uniforms. Now that the look is back, that bond has been renewed.
"That just meant too much to this community to go that hard the other way," Collins said. "I'm so happy that we're going back to seeing more gold, seeing more burgundy. I love this helmet. It just makes so much sense."
