New Buccaneers uniforms take a step sideways as Tampa Bay spurns creamsicle for dullness

Joe Rivera

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New Buccaneers uniforms take a step sideways as Tampa Bay spurns creamsicle for dullness image

Tampa Bay's new uniforms are here and they look awfully familiar.

There's something certainly ironic with the wording of the tweet here: "Allow us to show you the future." That's because the new uniforms are actually just the pre-2015 uniforms with a few minor updates. Take a look for yourself:

Here's the thing: While Tampa Bay's uniforms were pretty bad, going back to something as generic and bland as "white-with-red-numbers" is painful. They're not ugly uniforms at all — they're just generic. There's no identity, there's no signature. There's no signaling of a new era, just one that the team already went through. They even removed some of the outlining of the numbers! There's even less than before.

At least with the Buccaneers' earlier uniforms, the team and Nike tried something different, even if it was met with mixed reviews.

MORE: Nike's NFL uniforms ranked — Where does the Bucs' new look fall?

Just take a look at what Nike has done — or tried to do — with a lot of the uniform redesigns. Many of them offer new, fresh designs to NFL franchise looks. The Titans have a sword motif throughout their unis, even if a bit overdone. The Jets' single shoulder stripe to the chest is a new look for the franchise and in the league. 

While there's been a bit of a wax-and-wane when it comes to Nike's NFL redesigns, there has been more good than bad overall. Though some uniforms have been a product of overdesign, (2013 Jaguars, 2015 Buccaneers), others have been spot on with unique looks that feature signatures of the team or the town in which they play.

New uniforms often signal new eras after all, and that couldn't be more true for the Bucs right now. The team moved on from the mercurial Jameis Winston this offseason and signed quarterback Tom Brady in an effort to win a 'ship in the next two years. The Bucs do have a chance to usher in, at minimum, a few good years of winning football with Brady under center alongside a solid group of offensive talent. So why they didn't opt for fresh threads over familiarity is a question in and of itself.

Nike and the Bucs had an opportunity to not just move past the controversial uniforms, but move forward. Instead, they're stuck sideways with kits of yesteryear and with something so painfully bland in a world of advanced uniform design and creativity. Even something like the team's former signature "creamsicle" orange, which is beloved by a sizable contingent of Bucs fans, wasn't in the cards.

Tradition is absolutely worth something in sports. People get pretty passionate about that, especially when it comes to uniforms. But there's also a fine line between tradition and stubbornness, and I think we know which side won when it comes to these new uniforms.

Here's some of the reaction to the unveiling of the new/old Bucs kits:

Joe Rivera

Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.