National Football League - Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions Unveil New Uniforms

By Associated Press

DETROIT -- They've got a new head coach, a fairly new stadium and now, snazzy new uniforms.

The Detroit Lions unveiled their home and away uniforms Wednesday afternoon at Ford Field.

"Subtle," Lions president and CEO Matt Millen said.

"Yet dramatic," Lions executive vice president and COO Tom Lewand responded.

Black is the primary new touch that the team added to the design.

"It's just a little bit of black, just to outline and enhance it," Millen said. "We needed it. It kind of looked washed out a little bit before."

For the first time since 1974, the players will wear black shoes. The helmets will now have black facemasks.

"I like the black facemask," said Mark Champion, Lions radio play-by-play announcer. "Far more menacing."

The numbers on the jerseys are now outlined in black, as is the leaping lion logo on the helmet.

Millen said the team had originally wanted to make these changes before last season, but the league has such an extensive process for approving uniform changes that the team had to delay it until this coming season.

As a football veteran, Millen thought it a bit unusual to be commenting on fashion.

"I like it but it doesn't take that much for me," he said. "You put a flannel shirt on that thing, I'd have been happy."

Two Lions modeled the new designs for the crowd Wednesday.

Fullback Cory Schlesinger modeled the home uniform with the Honolulu blue shirt with white numbers and defensive end Kalimba Edwards showed off the road uniform with the white shirt and the blue numbers.

"I don't understand the Honolulu part," Millen said. "It's Lions blue."

For the first time, the word "Lions" appears on the jerseys just above the numbers in small, capital letters.

The pants for both home and road are silver and sport a thick vertical white stripe between two blue stripes and two thin black stripes.

Neither player said the "modeling" experience would make them consider a career change.

"It's not a game day so you feel a little awkward in your uniforms, plus it's not tailored the way you want it. You feel a little bit uncomfortable. Plus I don't have my helmet on, which I usually do," Schlesinger said.

This weekend, the Lions will hold their 15th annual NFL Draft Day Experience at Ford Field and fans can pick up their new jerseys at the Roar & More store.

This article was taken from www.detnews.com.  Some pictures were taken from www.detroitlions.com and www.lionsfans.com.  All rights reserved.