The Tampa Bay Buccaneers revealed their new helmet and logo on the NFL Network Thursday night. Branding the change as an “enhancement.”
The Bucs press release describes the new logo as: “The enhanced logo still features the team’s iconic, windswept red battle flag, while sporting a more menacing skull positioned over crossed swords and a football. The helmet retains its trademark pewter color and includes a larger logo on each side along with a new chrome facemask. Another element unique to the Buccaneers will be a hand-painted shading technique using a darker pewter color that runs vertically from the front of the helmet to the crown and along the earholes, providing a customized look and feel.”
New Flag Flying in Tampa
“This is an exciting day for the entire Buccaneers organization as we begin the process of introducing our new look by revealing an enhanced logo and new helmet design,” Bucs co-chairman Edward Glazer said in the release. “The enhanced logo is much larger and portrays a more intimidating presence, while the chrome facemask is the first used by an NFL team. This is the first alteration to our logo and helmet since the previous re-design 17 years ago and we believe it sets the stage for our transition into this new, exciting era of Buccaneers football.”
The Timing:
I personally love the timing. It definitely feels that with the hiring of Lovie Smith that the culture in Tampa is changing. For some reason the change itself feels right, new helmet, new logo (New Uniforms March 5th). It feels like a fresh start in Tampa and brings new optimism to the fan base. The logo change seems to fit with that theme of a fresh start.
I am more impressed that the logo wasn’t leaked prematurely. I think its fair to say, If the logo was changed during the Greg Schiano tenure it would have been leaked. The fact the the Bucs were able to keep the logo from leaking, I think speaks volumes to the culture change in Tampa.
The New Logo:
If I’m being honest I don’t like the new flag, specifically speaking I don’t like the new skull and swords. For me personally it has a robotic feel to it, the lines are too sharp, I really don’t know how to explain it, other than it just doesn’t feel right. I actually like the new black helmet with the chrome face mask. I’m not sure if they will have any negative effect in sunny Florida. Its fair to say the black helmet in the Florida heat might not have been smart, It’s also unclear if the chrome face mask will reflect in the sun. I have to assume since the team went through with the change, they looked at the potential problems and found it wouldn’t have a negative effect.
Back to the look of the logo, I think the flag is too large on the helmet. I would have liked to see the logo a little smaller, centered in the middle instead of wrapping around the helmets curves. Color wise, I like the brighter red and the silver skull. My first impression was the orange on the football as too bright.
When asked at the NFL Scouting Combine what direction the Bucs will take in the upcoming draft and the future of Bucs QB Mike Glennon, Bucs head coach had this to say.
“I know enough about that draft to know, yeah, there’s someone that would be worthy of the seventh pick because everything is on the board right now,” “Whenever you have a chance to get a franchise quarterback, you have to consider that.” Bucs Head Coach Lovie Smith told the Tampa Bay Times at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Mike did some good things. But he did some good things as a rookie,” Smith said. “To say right now that Mike is the answer, and he’s our quarterback of the future, and we’re going to build around him and give him a 20-year contract right now, you’re not there.” Bucs Head Coach Lovie Smith told the Tampa Bay Times at the NFL Scouting Combine.
In closing, I think the Logo will grow on me and fellow Bucs fans. I really liked seeing Warren Sapp and Gerald McCoy together on the NFL Network. It felt like under Schiano there was a disconnect between the past and the present. Its still early to say but I think under Lovie Smith we will see a lot more of the great Bucs players of the past, players like Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks specifically. #ItsABucsLIfe
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