When the Chicago Bears unveiled their 1940's throwback uniforms back in 2010, one of the most distinctive features of the gear outside of the snazzy orange numbers was the helmet, which was a plain blue helmet without the distinctive orange "C" on the side.
The Bears broke those uniforms out again in their Week 2 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, but for fans of the look, don't get used to it.
That's because the Bears, along with all other NFL teams, will be required to wear the same style of helmet for every game of the season under a rule that the league passed this week. Paul Roumeliotis has the details:
"According to the NFL, effective immediately, the rule is being installed because the transition to a different helmet can cause a greater risk of an injury.
"As a result, teams planning on using throwback uniforms won't be allowed to wear their throwback helmet to match their uniform. Teams will be obligated to use their regular team helmets with an option of additional logos and facemasks."
The Bears obviously got lucky here because their current helmets match the throwback uniforms anyway, but Roumeliotis points out that teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers, who were planning on wearing their vintage orange and white uniform and helmet combinations later this month, are out of luck.
Other teams that spring to mind when discussing clubs who wear different helmets include the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers, and the St. Louis Rams. The New England Patriots have also employed the same tactic when wearing their throwback uniforms, the same ones they wore when the Bears crushed them 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
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What do you think of the new rule, Bears fans? Is it a logical choice to protect player safety, or an overreach from the league?
