Kelly O’Day

Editor, Packerland Titletown USA

Love it or hate it, it seems the Color Rush is here to stay.

Some like the mix of different uniforms, a change to the somewhat-boring status quo.

Others deem it a sort of sacrilege, a cheapening of the classic style of their favorite team’s beloved standard issue.
If you have a uniform as classic as the Packers’, largely unchanged from season to season except for a few arm-stripe tweaks, this view can make a lot of sense.

This is the photo released by the Packers before the 2016 Thursday night game with the Chicago Bears.    packers.com photo

Ultimately, how you feel about the issue may reflect how resistant or open to change you are. Or it may speak as much to the respect you have for your team’s ensemble.

No matter your personal opinion, the National Football League has decided it will offer options, because more options means more sales.

And the NFL is all about sales.

Some have suggested the all green of the 1953 Packers would make a nice Color Rush choice, or even a better throwback.    Packers team photo

Last year, Green Bay took a conservative approach with the Color Rush, using all white uniforms for a home Thursday night contest against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 20. The Bears stuck to a Navy scheme.

The Color Rush had been optional for teams in 2015, but it became mandatory last season for the Thursday NFL Network games. The Packers passed on using one for their 2015 contest at the Detroit Lions, on Dec. 3.

It’s mandatory again in 2017, and, coincidentally, the Packers will be at home versus the Bears for the Thursday night game, again. The time it will be held on Sept. 26. The Packers will go with the all-white version once more, using their road jersey with matching pants.

Green Bay’s go-to throwback choice has been some variation of a blue-and-gold set-up, like this one from the Don Hutson era, used from 1937-48. The team also has used the older blue and gold with the player number in a circle. No matter which version, Aaron Rodgers has said he prefers the super-comfy brown pants that accompany both.    Kelly O’Day photo

Green Bay will also use throwback uniforms for a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sun., Nov. 19. This one will also be at Lambeau Field.