The annual Uni Watch NFL season preview

It's a turbulent time in the uni-verse. The NBA is switching from Adidas to Nike, and the NHL is switching from Reebok to Adidas, which means all 30 teams in each league will have new uniforms, while MLB has been dressing its players in garishly colored jerseys with nicknames. Compared to those situations, the NFL uni scene is a relative oasis of calm.

Or so it would appear at first glance. But it turns out that there's also a lot of churn in the world of NFL uniforms this season because most teams are upgrading to a new Nike tailoring template. You'll be hearing a lot about how the new template is lighter and tighter, how it has fewer seams and so on. But from a visual standpoint, the most obvious changes -- and they're almost all for the better -- can be seen around the jersey collars.

Some quick background: When Nike took over as the NFL's uniform supplier in 2012, many people expected a wide-ranging makeover of the league's look. That didn't happen, but Nike did put one prominent mark on NFL jerseys: the Flywire collar. That's the collar format with those annoying shiny bands, which have been a visual blight on the NFL landscape for five seasons now. Flywire supposedly makes the collar area stronger or some such, but it's really a Nike branding element -- a way for Nike to say, "Hey, don't forget that we made this jersey." It has never been a mandatory uniform element, but 23 of the league's 32 teams began using it in 2012, and 22 of them were still using it last season.

This year, however, teams can upgrade from Nike's Elite 51 uniform template to the Vapor Untouchable template (yes, the names are ridiculous, but try to ignore them), and most have done so. The good news is that the new template is Flywire-free; the bad news is that the new collar has its own mildly annoying Nike branding element: a little triangular badge at the base of the neckline. But that looks way, way better than the Flywire.

Of the 22 teams that were Flywire-clad last year, 19 have upgraded to the new template. They've swatted the Flywire! So we'll call them the Flyswatter Brigade -- a term you'll be seeing a lot throughout the rest of this column. Thanks to these teams, the league will look a whole lot better this season.

Of course, there's plenty of other uni-related news as we move toward the kickoff of the 2017 NFL season. Here's our annual team-by-team rundown of what you can expect to see on the gridiron this fall, broken down by division.

AFC East

• Nike's new jersey template has had a particularly visible effect on the Bills, whose collar striping is now truncated at the base of the neckline:

• The Dolphins are charter members of the Flyswatter Brigade:

In addition, the Dolphins will wear their aqua throwbacks for their final two home games of the season -- Dec. 11 against the Patriots and Dec. 31 against the Bills. (That noise you hear in the background is the sound of millions of NFL fans shouting, "They should wear those full time!") You can see their full home jersey schedule -- something every team should post publicly, though only a handful do -- here.

Also: Miami's Thursday night Color Rush uniform last season was orange, but team management reportedly wasn't happy with that look. When the Dolphins play the Ravens on Thursday, Oct. 26, they'll likely be wearing white.

• The Jets are another team that has broken out the Flyswatter:

• The Patriots, much like the Bills, have had their collar striping truncated by Nike's new jersey template:

Also: The different tailoring cuts within Nike's new template appear to have had an effect on the Patriots' shoulder stripes. On some jerseys, the stripes look thicker; on others, thinner.

Meanwhile, though there has been no official announcement, all signs point toward the Pats' wearing a championship patch for Thursday night's season opener against the Chiefs. This matches what they've done after their past three Super Bowl wins. Only one other NFL team has ever worn this type of patch: the Saints in 2010.

In one final note, the Pats have new field turf this season.

AFC North

• The Bengals are marking their 50th season with a new jersey patch. Interestingly, it's one of the newfangled synthetic patches, not a traditional embroidered design. These modern patches have been worn in the Super Bowl, but this appears to be the first time an NFL team has worn one for a standard season-long patch.

The Bengals have also broken out the Flyswatter -- and not a moment too soon. In addition to scrapping the Flywire, they've rid themselves of the neck roll format on their black jersey, with the orange trim now extending all the way around the collar -- a big upgrade.

The transformation is even more dramatic on Cincy's white jersey, on which the shoulder yoke now runs horizontally instead of diagonally:

Incidentally, the Bengals usually post their jersey schedule on their website, but they haven't yet updated the information for 2017. Keep an eye on this page; they'll likely add this season's info soon.

• Browns: No announced changes or news, which means they're stuck wearing the old template, complete with the old collar.

• Ravens: No announced changes. Fortunately, they weren't wearing the Flywire collar to begin with, so they had no need to break out the Flyswatter.

Meanwhile: Several Ravens defensive backs have engaged in a bunch of uni number switcheroos.

Also: The Ravens have installed a set of huge, high-def scoreboards at M&T Bank Stadium (additional info here):

• The Steelers will add a memorial patch for former owner Dan Rooney, who died this summer. They did not wear the patch during the preseason, but it will be added for the season opener against the Browns on Sept. 10 (additional info here).

If your uniform passion extends to practice gear, the Steelers added their team name to their practice jerseys this season -- and added an advertising patch to boot:

Finally, if you were wondering what happened to uni numbers on the front of the Steelers' helmets, don't worry. They never bother with the front numbers during the preseason, but you can be sure the numerals will reappear for the season opener Sept. 10 in Cleveland.

AFC South

• Colts: No announced changes. That means they're sticking with the Flywire collar. Too bad.

Meanwhile, the Colts will retire Peyton Manning's No. 18 during the Oct. 8 game against the 49ers. They'll also unveil a Manning statue the day before the game.

And if you have two minutes, here's a great little video report on the woman who has been sewing the names on the Colts' jerseys for the past 33 years. Maybe she should get her own statue, just like Manning, right?

• Let's face it: There's no shortage of uni-related issues the Jaguars need to address, starting with that two-tone helmet. But at least they've taken a small step forward by breaking out the Flyswatter.

• The Texans are an interesting case. They weren't wearing the Flywire, but the striped trim on their collars was way too wide. Thankfully, it has gotten a bit narrower under Nike's new template -- definitely an upgrade.

Meanwhile, the Texans have released their home uniform schedule. As usual, they'll wear solid white for their home opener Sept. 10 against the Jaguars. They'll also wear their red alternate jerseys on Dec. 10 against the 49ers.

It's also worth noting that the Texans haven't yet announced whether they'll be adding a patch or helmet decal related to Houston's recovery from Hurricane Harvey, but it seems highly likely that the team, and maybe the entire league, will make some sort of uni-related gesture. Stay tuned.

• The Titans have broken out the Flyswatter, and it's a big improvement:

If you like the new look, enjoy it while you can because team owner Amy Adams Strunk has told reporters the team will have a new uni design next season.

AFC West

• There has never been an anniversary patch for a uniform design (that would be very meta, right?). But it's tempting to think that the Broncos should wear one for their uniform, which marks its 20th anniversary this season. Love it or hate it, it was revolutionary when it debuted in 1997, and there's still nothing quite like it in the NFL. Thanks to some judicious use of the Flyswatter, it will look better this year than it did last year.

Look closely, and you can see that the new template has also had an effect on the horns that emerge from the jerseys' side panels, which are now a bit thicker:

• Although the Chargers have moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, they're sticking with their uniform set, at least for now. They have, however, deployed the Flyswatter, and it's a big plus.

The Chargers have also posted their home jersey schedule for 2017. In a development that will have NFL fans giving serious thanks as they reach for the gravy, the schedule calls for the Bolts to wear their powder blue alternates -- considered by many the best look in league -- on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys.

Here's an interesting move: The Chargers have revived their old shield-based logo, originally used during the team's AFL days. Remember, the Chargers started out in L.A., so it makes a certain amount of sense for them to resurrect this logo now that they're back where they started.

Meanwhile, on a sad note, longtime Chargers equipment manager Bob Wick was fired toward the end of the preseason. He had been working on the team's uniforms and equipment for 38 years.

• The Chiefs never wore the Flywire collar, but they've nonetheless upgraded to the new jersey template, as indicated by the telltale triangular badge at the neckline:

Meanwhile, while other teams have sold the naming rights to their stadiums, the Chiefs have stuck with Arrowhead Stadium's original moniker. But that might be changing, as the team is seeking a corporate partner to rename the stadium. Here's hoping that doesn't happen.

• The Raiders are in the same boat as the Chiefs: They were already Flywire-free but have upgraded to the new template:

NFC East

• The Flywire collar has been particularly problematic for the Cowboys. At one point in 2014 and '15, the bands within the collar turned blue, which the team attributed to laundry problems (additional photos and info here). Although the Cowboys eventually got that problem under control, it's just as well that they've broken out the Flyswatter this season:

As for Dallas' blue jersey, it never had the Flywire collar. Interestingly, when the Cowboys wore blue for a preseason game against the Rams on Aug. 12, they were clearly wearing last year's jerseys because the NFL logo chip had not been updated to the new chrome version. It remains to be seen whether this will still be the case in the regular season.

There had been talk that the Cowboys would be wearing the blue jerseys more often this season, but the team has just laid those rumors to rest.

• Big improvement in Philly, where the Eagles have swatted that Flywire:

• Good news is also coming out of the Meadowlands, where the Giants have joined the Flyswatter Brigade:

Also: As you can see in those collar-comparison photos, the "NY" logo on the Giants' nose bumper has changed from blue to red. But Giants equipment director Joe Skiba often likes to tinker with that uniform element, so it remains to be seen whether the red version will be retained for the regular season.

Also-also: The Giants have posted their uniform schedule. They'll once again wear white pants at home (including for a Sunday afternoon game against the Cowboys on Dec. 10, when they'll wear their retro-inspired solid-white Color Rush uni) and gray pants on the road, regardless of which jersey they're wearing. Additional info here.

• Washington makes it a clean Flyswatter sweep for the NFC East, which is going to be a very good-looking division this season.

Look closely at those last two photos, and you might be able to see that Washington has also tweaked its shade of burgundy this season:

NFC North

• The Flyswatting continues in Chicago, where the Bears have upgraded to the new template:

Meanwhile: The Bears have released their 2017 jersey schedule. It calls for them to wear their excellent Monsters of the Midway throwbacks on Sept. 24 against the Steelers and Nov. 19 against the Lions.

• While most other teams are just moving their existing uniform designs to Nike's new template, the Lions are the one NFL club with a completely new uniform design this season. It's not perfect (putting the team name in the sleeve stripe doesn't work at all), but it's definitely an upgrade over their previous set, particularly with the return of the blue road pants and the removal -- finally! -- of all the extraneous black trim.

The new uniform set includes a throwback design, which the Lions will wear for their Thanksgiving Day game against the Vikings:

There's also a solid-gray Color Rush design. At first it seemed the Lions wouldn't be wearing it in 2017 (which would be just as well -- it's a stinker) because they aren't scheduled for a Thursday night game this season. But it turns out that they'll wear it for a Saturday afternoon game Dec. 16 against the Bears.

Additional info and photos are available here and here, and there's a more detailed Uni Watch assessment of the new uniform set here.

Also: For the past three seasons, the Lions have worn a "WCF" memorial patch for former team owner William Clay Ford. The new uni set moves the memorial to the left sleeve, where it will become a permanent fixture, much like the Bears' "GSH" sleeve memorial for George S. Halas.

If the jerseys in those last two photos look as if they're different shades of blue, that isn't just the lighting. The team's official color specs have changed:

As a finishing touch, the team's new helmets will include raised lettering on the nose and neck bumpers:

• When Nike took over the NFL's uniform contract in 2012, the Packers were one of several teams that opted to stick with the old Reebok fabric and tailoring template (which is easy to spot -- just look for the mesh fabric), and they've continued to stick with it this season. They've basically bypassed the Flywire era by standing still.

There's one bit of Pack-related uni news, however: Last season, wide receiver Ty Montgomery spent most of his time lining up in the backfield. There's nothing wrong with that, but it looked a little weird, because he was wearing No. 88. This year, he's officially listed as a running back, but he's keeping No. 88, a move permitted by NFL rules.

• The Vikings are another team that has swatted the pesky Flywire:

NFC South

• The Buccaneers are among the handful of teams that have stuck with last year's template, so they're still saddled with the Flywire collar.

On the plus side, the Bucs have added a new set of white pants with red trim. The previous white pants, with pewter trim, are still part of the team's wardrobe, but the new version is a big upgrade. Here's hoping they wear it a lot this season.

• The Falcons, much like the Packers, stuck with the old Reebok fabric and tailoring when Nike took over the league's uniform contract in 2012. This season they're finally shifting to the new Nike template.

Meanwhile, the Falcons have a new stadium this season. The early reviews are mostly positive (lots of additional info here), though there are some problems with the retractable roof, which won't be able to open for at least the first few games of the season.

• The Panthers are the remaining team that has stuck with the old Reebok fabric and tailoring in the Nike era. They haven't announced any changes for 2017. They have, however, posted their jersey schedule for the entire season -- not just for home games, as several other teams have done. As usual, they'll be wearing white for many of their home games. The schedule also calls for their blue alternates to be worn Nov. 5 against the Falcons (additional info here):

• Great news out of New Orleans, where the Saints have not only swatted the Flywire but also scrapped the neck roll collar (known by some as the "toilet seat collar"). Truth be told, the new collar trim seems a tad wider than it needs to be, but it's still a huge upgrade.

It's a little hard to tell in those photos, but the Saints have also made a slight adjustment to their official shade of gold:

NFC West

• The Cardinals have a lot of uniform issues to deal with, most of which have gone unaddressed this season. But hey, at least they've improved their jersey collars:

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are reportedly in the market for a naming rights partner for their stadium. Stay tuned.

• Two significant changes for the 49ers. First, they've joined the Flyswatter Brigade:

Then there's this: For the past eight seasons, the Niners' sleeve stripes have been in this weird limbo. They're supposed to have three stripes on each sleeve, but most players have had just one full stripe and one or two partial stripes. This year, they're giving up on the triple-stripe idea and giving everyone two full stripes, which are thicker than the ones used in the past. It's an odd solution, given that other teams are able to have three full stripes, but at least it's an improvement (further info can be found in this statement from Roger Hacker, the team's director of corporate communications).

Meanwhile, in news that should make everyone happy, the Niners are bringing back their helmet car (more info here):

In one last noteworthy development, the Niners are adding a Ring of Honor to their stadium.

• Lots of changes for the Rams. Their helmet horns have changed from gold to white; their face mask has changed from blue to white; and all traces of gold have been removed from their pants striping. Just like last year, they'll wear their white jerseys at home this season, which is fine, except that the jerseys still have gold trim, which no longer matches anything else in the uniform package. The whole set now feels out of balance, but we'll have to live with it until 2019, when the Rams are expected to unveil a more comprehensive redesign to coincide with the opening of their new stadium (additional info here).

As you probably noticed in those last few photos, the Rams' makeover includes a Flyswatter deployment, plus they've scrapped their neck roll -- a win-win.

In addition, the Rams will wear their popular throwbacks for two games against division rivals: Oct. 8 against the Seahawks and Dec. 31 against the 49ers. Both games were selected via fan voting (additional info here).

One final Rams note: Newly acquired wideout Sammy Watkins has been wearing No. 2 during preseason games. That's kosher in August, when the NFL relaxes its numbering requirements because of the large roster sizes, but Watkins will have to switch to something in the standard wide receiver numeral ranges -- 10 through 19 and 80 through 89 -- once the regular season starts.

• The Seahawks were Nike's marquee team when the company took over the NFL's uniform contract in 2012 (though the seemingly radical makeover the team received at the time feels rather tame by today's standards), so it's no surprise that Seattle has upgraded to Nike's new template. In addition to swatting the Flywire, the new look allows the two side stripes to extend farther toward the center of the jersey.

In addition, the Seahawks have added a "96" memorial decal for defensive standout Cortez Kennedy, who died in May (additional info here).

Finally: Want to go to the head of the line when boarding an Alaska Airlines flight? Last year, the airline extended that privilege to anyone wearing a Russell Wilson jersey, and it has renewed the promotion for 2017. No word on whether fans in the old Flywire jerseys have to wait a bit longer.

Additional notes

• As has been the case the past two seasons, Thursday night games will feature teams wearing solid-colored "Color Rush" uniforms. Although the specific color matchups haven't been announced, you can see this season's Thursday night schedule here. (As an aside, at least one team wanted to amend the league's bylaws so it could opt out of the Color Rush program, but the proposal was later withdrawn.)

• Speaking of proposed bylaw changes that ended up going nowhere, the Eagles wanted to scrap the league's "one-shell rule," a safety initiative that has had the effect of eliminating several popular throwback uniforms. But that too went nowhere. (For more on the one-shell rule, look here.)

• As you may have noticed in many of the teams' collar-comparison photos, the NFL logo patch at the base of the collar has a chrome background this year. Ditto for the logo that appears on the upper pant thigh.

• Speaking of the NFL shield, in recent years, teams have worn the league logo as a decal on the left side of the rear helmet, with an American flag decal on the right. This year, at least in the preseason, most teams have moved the decals to the opposite side:

• After eight seasons of having players wear pink accessories during October to raise awareness of breast cancer, the NFL is taking a more diversified approach this season. Teams will now be able to designate a specific anti-cancer initiative to promote during a three-week period in October. The Packers, for example, have announced that they'll be raising funds for the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. It's not yet clear whether teams will wear colored accessories for these games, but the early indications are that they will not, at least for 2017. Additional info here.

• Although there has been no official announcement, expect to see the league's other well-established monthlong uniform promotion -- camouflage trim to salute the military in November -- rolled out once again.

• There has also been no official announcement about a reprise of last year's "My Cause, My Cleats" promotion, in which players were permitted to wear custom footwear designs devoted to various charities in Week 13. But that initiative was popular with players and fans, so it's likely to be revived for 2017.

• Speaking of footwear: In the past, teams have had to declare a primary shoe color -- black or white -- but many players have flouted the rules. The league appears to have thrown in the towel on that one, as players will now be permitted to wear white, black or a team color. They'll also have more flexibility to wear custom-designed cleats during pregame warm-ups.

• Despite the more relaxed rules, some players will no doubt find a way to run afoul of the league's uniform regulations. In those instances, fines and other penalties will be meted out to the teams, not just to the individual players.

• If you see any NFL officials with "DJ" on their backs, it's not because they're spinning tunes. It's because the officiating position formerly known as the head linesman is now being called the down judge (additional info here).

• There are two new high-tech helmet models you'll likely be seeing on the field this season, both of which try to offer greater protection against concussions. The first is the Vicis Zero1, the product of a Seattle startup operation. A bunch of Seahawks players have tried it out, and it has also been spotted on a few other players, including Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Among other things, it features an exterior shell that deforms upon impact. Here's a good video report (additional info here and here):

Next up is the Schutt F7, which is easy to spot because of its two exterior flex plates (and was the subject of a detailed Uni Watch report earlier this year). It has been showing up here and there in the preseason.

There's also Riddell's new Precision-Fit helmet system, which uses three-dimensional imaging to create custom-fitted helmets. Your friendly uniform columnist even had his own head scanned to see how the process works; get the full scoop here.

• All NFL footballs will now have embedded microchips, but don't expect them to be used to help determine first downs or other officiating calls. The chips will gather player performance data.

Did we miss anything? If so, you know what to do. Thanks.

Paul Lukas will have his NHL, NBA and college hoops previews later this fall. If you like this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, check out his Uni Watch merchandise, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted, or just ask him a question? Contact him here.