recruits who received a state combine invite, con

Were now in the second week of the second season of the NFLs Thursday-night Color Rush program, which features teams wearing solid-colored uniforms. The program has been promoted as an innovative approach to NFL uniform design, but heres the thing: NFL teams were wearing solid-colored unis long before the NFL and Nike dreamed up Color Rush -- in some cases more than 80 years before.Charting the NFLs early uniform history is tricky, because color photographs are rare and uniform fabrics often reacted differently to color dyes, so jerseys and pants often didnt match even if they were supposed to match. But according to the Gridiron Uniform Database, the definitive guide to pro football uniform history, one of the first NFL teams to wear a mono-colored uniform was the 1933 Cincinnati Reds, an early franchise that only lasted one and a half seasons before being suspended for failure to pay league dues.Since then, a surprising number of NFL teams have gone mono-colored at least once. Some, like the Reds, are now-forgotten teams from the leagues early ragtag era. But others are franchises that are still with us today. Heres a selective timeline of some key dates in solid-colored-uniform history. It doesnt show every single mono-colored uni in NFL history, but it gives a good sense of how the phenomenon has evolved over the years:1935: The Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, that was the name of an NFL franchise from 1930 through 1943) and Green Bay Packers (yes, those same Green Bay Packers) wear solid-green uniforms. The Dodgers wear them again the following year, while the Packers mono-green look turns out to be a one-season thing -- for now.1940-42: The Steelers include solid-yellow uniforms as part of their wardrobe for three seasons.1946: The Boston Yanks -- another short-lived team, with a now-unthinkable name -- wear solid-yellow uniforms for one season.1950: With new Packers coach Gene Ronzani declaring, We are the Green Bay Packers, the team dons solid-green uniforms for the first time since 1935. The greens are worn for one season, then retired, then revived in 1953, and then mothballed yet again. (Meanwhile, the Browns, who have been folded into the NFL after playing for four seasons in the rival All-America Football Conference, wear something no NFL team has previously tried: a solid-white uniform.) 1964: Due to a miscommunication prior to a 1964 Lions-Vikings game, both teams take the field wearing white jerseys, which creates problems. So the Vikings, who are the home team, send an employee to fetch the teams purple jerseys. The game is briefly stopped while the players change jerseys on the sidelines, creating the NFLs first solid-purple uniform.1965-1996: The mono-colored look, which was always on the fringes of NFL popularity, falls out of favor completely, as the league settles into the protocol of wearing non-matching jerseys and pants (the occasional solid-white uniform notwithstanding).1997: After an absence of more than three decades, mono-colored uniforms return to the NFL, as the Broncos wear mono-blue twice during the preseason and then the Eagles go with solid green for a regular-season game against the 49ers. The Earth wobbles slightly on its axis, then recovers and continues spinning.2001: After three seasons with no solid-colored uniforms, another crack in the dam appears, as the Saints wear mono-black for two games, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to wear a monochromatic uniform more than once in the same season. It is a hint of things to come.2002: The floodgates open, as nine teams wear solid-colored uniforms. Some, like the Seahawks and Bills, adopt the mono-color style as their primary look; others, like the Bears and Dolphins, just dabble with it as a onetime experiment. Collectively, though, the message is clear: The solid-colored NFL uniform has arrived.In the 13 seasons since then, an additional 13 NFL teams have dipped their toes in the solid-colored pool for the first time. So by the time the Color Rush program debuted last fall, mono-colored uniforms werent exactly a new concept. By Uni Watchs count, 26 of the 32 NFL teams had already gone mono at least once by that time, and 24 had done so in the Super Bowl era. When viewed in that context, the Color Rush program isnt really so innovative -- its just the latest spin on an established trend.(Special thanks to Phil Hecken, Chance Michaels, and the Gridiron Uniform Database for their research assistance.)Would you like to nominate a uniform or uni element to be showcased in a future Friday Flashback installment? Send your suggestions here.Paul Lukas, a lifelong fan of the color green, wouldnt mind seeing the Packers live up to their city name again. If you like how it turned out, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. Jordan Crawford Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Frank Jackson Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Derrick-Favors-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Nicolo Melli Pelicans Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Josh Gray Pelicans Jersey . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Each week, ESPN.com.au AFL draft expert Christopher Doerre - aka Knightmare - casts his eye over the countrys best junior footballers to give readers an early insight into the next generation of AFL stars.As well as attending live games, Doerre pores through match vision, analyses the stats and talks to industry sources to ensure he can offer the most insightful draft analysis.Aside from the weekly wrap, Doerre will also unveil his power rankings at the end of each month.And as we get closer to Novembers national draft, Doerre will also predict who goes where with his annual phantom draft.Player focusJack Graham, this years Larke medallist (awarded to the best division one player during the AFL Under-18 Championships) had a breakout game in the SANFL reserves with 26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, three marks, 16 tackles and seven clearances.Some recruiters believed Graham had peaked during the under-18 championships with his form not quite up to the same standard since. At the weekend, however, Graham again showed what he is capable of.This season Graham has built a reputation as one of this years strongest contested ball winners. A key strength to his game is his clean, one-touch pickups below his knees. At stoppages Graham wins first possession often, either getting a clearing kick forward or distributing by hand quickly and reliably to a target. His tackling is also very good.Analysis? Recruiters believe Graham may feature inside the second or third round in this years AFL draft. His numbers and performance through the under-18 championships are a major reason for this.The reason why Graham is not viewed as a consensus first-round selection primarily relates to his inconsistent footskills. He often looks rushed and, for the most part at stoppages, kicks for territory. Around the ground his kicks often get intercepted or go to a contest.Graham often hits contests at speed, wins the ball and continues accelerating out of the contest. But around the ground he shows below average pace.Graham would also benefit from becoming more of a marking threat. This would enable him to become more of a weapon forward of centre and develop another position he could play at the next level.In the modern game, being a mutli-positional player is of increasing importance to clubs. Recruiters will be looking for Graham to show more versatility, tidy up his footskills and improve his speed and endurance, if he is to have success at AFL level.Victorian prospect watchTAC CupTop-age midfielder and forward Ben Ronke continued his strong late-season form with 31 disposals, 14 contested possessions, four marks (one contested), seven tackles, five clearances, seven inside 50s, three goals and one score assist.Powerful bottom-age forward Cameron Rayner had 18 disposals, 14 contested possessions, nine tackles, six clearances, five goals and one score assist. This follows a seven-goal performance the previous week.Bottom-age midfielder Cassidy Parish again impressed with his grunt work through the Geelong Falcons midfield with 22 disposals, 13 contested possessions and a team leading eight clearances. It is looking likely that Cassidy will follow his brother Darcy onto an AFL list.Esava Ratugolea had a breakout game through the ruck with 19 disposals, 10 contested possessions, three marks, seven tackles, 10 hitouts, six clearances and six inside 50s. Previously Ratugolea has shown promise up forward with four and eight-goal performances.For the past two weeks, fellow ruckman Max Lynch has not played, giving Ratugolea greater opportunity through the ruck, and hes started to show some signs that he may be able to pinch-hit through the ruck with his tap-work better than it was earlier in the season.Through the ruck, Ratugoleas strength is his follow-up work, with his ground-ball winning and tackling two features that can translate to AFL play. It is evident every time watching Ratugolea play that he has a hunger to have an impact on the contest. He flies for marks, puts his head over the ball and attacks it with an intensity few others share.Bottom-age midfielder Jack Higgins had 31 disposals, 13 contested possessions, five marks, seven tackles, five clearances, one goal and one score assist.Willem Drew was named North Ballarats best with 30 disposals, 20 contested possessions, seven marks, nine tackles, seven clearances and three score assists. Drew is a contested-ball winning beast through the midfield and if he is available for selection in the second or third round in this years AFL draft, he could prove a value selection and a sure fan favourite from day one with his attack on the ball.Potential No. 1 pick Hugh McCluggage was again one of North Ballarats best with 29 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five marks, four tackles, seven clearances, two goals and one score assist.Jarrod Berry for the second week in a row was named among the best players for North Ballarat with 17 disposals, eight contested possessions, five marks (one contested), four tackles, four clearances, eight inside 50s and four score assists.Exciting top-ager Cedric Cox again contributed well with 17 disposals, five contested possessions, seven marks and one score assist.Dylan Clarke through the Eastern midfield was as productive as ever with 33 disposals, 20 contested possessions, four marks, nine tackles and nine clearances.Big-bodied forward James Begley was impactful with 20 disposals, 12 contested possessions, three marks (one contested), four clearances, five inside 50s, two goals and one score assist.Callum Brown, the son of Collingwoods Gavin, continued his push for father-son selection with 20 disposals, 14 contested possessions, six tackles, six clearances, one goal, one score assist.Jordan Gallucci contributed well with 19 disposals, 11 contested possessions, four marks (one contested), seven tackles, five clearances, six inside 50s, two goals and two score assists.Bottom-age midfielder Max Dreher who stands at 182cm, 71kg, showed promising signs for Northern with 31 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five marks (one contested) and three tackles.Ben Ainsworth continued his push for selection inside the top five with 26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, six marks (one contested), six tackles, three goals and one score assist.While unlikely to get drafted, top-age ruckman Josh Patullo continued his outstanding form for Gippsland with 21 disposals, 10 contested possessions, seven marks (one contested), 12 hitouts, one goal and one score assist.Andrew McGrath was efficient and productive through the Sandringham midfield with 40 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five marks (one contested), three tackles, nine clearances, six inside 50s, one goal and four score assists.Corey Lyons, the younger brother of Adelaides Jarryd, had 33 disposals, nine contested possessions, eight marks, three tackles, seven clearances, one goal, three behinds and one score assist. Corey is another who will be attending this years state screenings.Tim Taranto racked up big numbers with 33 disposals, 13 contested possessions, nine marks (two contested), eight tackles, six clearances, five inside 50s, one goal, three behinds and four score assists.Will Setterfield, a 190cm GWS Academy midfieldd prospect, was a welcome addition to an already strong Sandringham team with 29 disposals, 14 contested possessions, three tackles, five clearances, five inside 50s, two goals and three score assists.ddddddddddddThe TAC Cup game against Bendigo was only Setterfields third for the season. He is a difference maker through the midfield with his contested-ball winning and classy ball use and is back at the right time of the year, in time for the finals.Hamish Brayshaw, the younger brother of Melbournes Angus, has progressed well over the second half of the season. He was again good with 17 disposals, eight contested possessions, eight marks (five contested), four goals and one score assist.Bottom-age forward Isaac Morrisby, who impressed during the TAC Cup futures game, again showed some promise up forward with 15 disposals, five marks (two contested), four goals and three score assists.VFLKayle Kirby put forward a match-winning effort in his VFL debut with a five-goal haul that is sure to get AFL recruiters talking. He made the most of his opportunity as the 23rd man.Geelong defender Thomas Stewart for the third week in a row featured among Geelongs best. Stewart, 23, stands at 193cm, 90kg. He has impressed with his two-way game, shutting down opposition forwards and providing rebound from defence with his intercept marking and field kicking features of his game.South Australian prospect watchSANFLLeagueJonty Scharenberg played his best SANFL league standard game yet with 28 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four marks (one contested) and five clearances.Steven Slimming, one of the more hyped South Australian midfielders coming into the season, continued his recent strong vein of form through the second half of the season with 16 disposals, seven contested possessions, three clearances and one score assist.ReservesTyson Stengle continued to hit the scoreboard while also finding more of the ball than he has in recent weeks with 19 disposals, six contested possessions, three marks, three tackles, two goals and three score assists.Brennan Cox -- an Under-18 All Australian key defender -- has been been effective as a forward in the SANFL at under-18 and reserves level. He continued to show his usefulness up forward with 13 disposals, five marks (two contested), three tackles, three goals, three behinds and one score assist.Top-ager Anthony Stengle was excellent with 21 disposals, 16 contested possessions, four tackles, nine clearances, three goals and two score assists in a team best performance.Under-18sSA U18sBrandon Parfitt in North Adelaides 16-point win was outstanding through the midfield with 47 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 10 marks, 10 clearances, five inside 50s and one score assist.?Parfitts teammate Jake Wohling was just as excellent through the midfield with 47 disposals, 17 contested possessions, five marks, six tackles, eight clearances and eight inside 50s.?Kym LeBois, a 175cm forward, provided a spark up forward and had one of his best games for the season with 16 disposals, 11 contested possessions, three marks and five goals.?Mitch Carter, a 196cm, 93kg key position player, had a big game up forward with 19 disposals, five marks (two contested), four tackles, five goals and four score assists.Peter Ladhams played a central part in Norwoods win with 15 disposals, five marks (two contested), 10 tackles, 33 hitouts and one goal.Western Australian prospect watchWAFLLeagueJye Bolton has continued his streak of games with 30 or more disposals. He has maintained this run in his past six games, with a contribution of 37 disposals, four marks, three tackles, six inside 50s and one goal against East Fremantle, again leading Claremonts midfield.?Darcy Cameron up forward and through the ruck was influential for Claremont with 18 disposals, 12 marks, 11 hitouts and five goals.?In his league debut, 188cm, 89kg midfielder Bailey Banfield fitted in seamlessly with 24 disposals, six marks and three tackles.Sam Powell-Pepper contributed well with 11 disposals, six marks and two goals.?Liam Ryan again showed promise in front of goal with 12 disposals, four marks, four tackles and four goals in another exciting performance up forward.?While his time at AFL level is likely up, being a 32-year-old midfielder, Clinton Jones is playing at an AFL standard and could pretty easily slot onto a rookie list and provide helpful depth and veteran leadership for an AFL club.In Perths win against Swan Districts as a ball winner through the midfield, Jones accumulated a mighty impressive 47 disposals and 11 marks. This is not the first time this season that Jones has topped the 40-disposal mark with 45 and 47 disposals in other games this season.From his 19 matches so far this season Jones has 653 disposals which is 105 clear of Jye Bolton in second.Reserves Stanley Wright had 25 disposals, five marks, two tackles and three goals. This is the second week in a row Wright has had 25 disposals. His impact has increased in each of his three reserves games so far.ColtsCameron Zurhaar, an exciting 188cm forward who will be attending the state screenings, was again productive with 24 disposals, two marks, three tackles and one goal.Sam Petrevski-Seton again contributed well in the colts with 26 disposals, three marks and seven tackles.Jeremy Goddard impressed as he so often does with his tap work, managing 52 hitouts to go along with 11 disposals and five marks.Having his most complete game for the season, Shai Bolton was ultra-impressive with 20 disposals, three marks, seven goals and seven inside 50s. This is the most goals Bolton has kicked in a game at colts level.It was encouraging to see Bolton have a perfect accuracy in front of goal with his conversion this season often inconsistent.Division two states (Tasmania, Northern Territory, NSW/ACT, Queensland and Northern Academy) prospects watchNEAFL:Jordan Harper, one of this years potential mature-age recruits who received a state combine invite, continued his impressive production through the midfield with 39 disposals, six marks, five tackles and two goals.?Sydney Academy Jake Brown, Sydneys most likely academy prospect, continued his push for national draft selection with 19 disposals, four tackles, five clearances and two goals.?Brown at 185cm is an impressive endurance athlete who can play both up forward and through the midfield well.Gold Coast AcademyTop-age prospect Max Spencer, a 190cm defender who has received a state combine invite, contributed well with 20 disposals and seven marks.Josh Williams continues to improve his national draft chances with 16 disposals, four tackles and two goals.?Williams in an outside running role has built a reputation for being one of this years most explosive runners. Over the first five metres he can burst away on the move from opponents and with ball in hand will often take two or three running bounces and sprint 35m-40m at speed and break the game open if given the time and space.Daniel Charlesworth also contributed well with 18 disposals and five marks in an exciting four-point win that pushed Gold Coast into the finals. ' ' '