Atlanta Falcons

Player Reaction

Thursday, April 24: Falcons react to the unveiling of their new uniforms:

Owner Arthur Blank on being a model and Thursday’s event in general:
“Who knew? My wife did. And probably my children know that and anyone who’s in my closet at home probably knows that. This is not about me, this is about Atlanta and our fans and our players and the uniforms that you’re seeing today are really a reflection of what they wanted and it took us a year to make sure we got a good indication from our fans. We spoke to thousands of them, finding out what kind of tweaking they wanted. We spent a lot of time talking to our players, which was a lot of fun, getting their viewpoints. You get all kinds of viewpoints from players. Mike Vick wants everything red, as fast as it can be. Keith Brooking thinks black, as ferocious as he can be. But it was great fun doing it and hopefully our fans will enjoy them as well.”

Blank on his favorite color combination of the new uniforms:
“I don’t really have a favorite. The one I really think kind of crept up on us and surprised us a little more was the black on black. Nobody really thought about that one together until towards the end and said ‘hmm, that looks both speedy and mean.’ We won’t use that, obviously, on every Sunday, but on special occasions. They’re all really great combinations and players feel great about the way they look on them and playing in them is really critical and hopefully, assuredly our fans will feel good about it as well because basically that’s what they told us to do.

Quarterback Mike Vick on the occasion:
“It was cool, it was fun. We’ve got a new uniform, we’re advertising it now, getting it out there and today is the first day the jerseys come out so it’s great to be a part of. They put me in the all-black and it’s sweet. I wish we could wear it every game, but this is for the special games.”

Vick on looking stylish in the new uniform:
“It looks good on me? I think it looks good on everybody. Everybody wants to wear the all-black. I wish we could wear the all-black every game, but we’ve got the other nice uniforms that we can wear. This is just a substitute. This is for the special games: playoffs, the preseason and Tampa Bay.

Vick on the debate between red and black jerseys:
“We did want the red jerseys, but it was up to the guys. It was a team thing, the team decided on it. I knew, either way it went we were going to look good in whatever we wore. If we stayed with the black, it was going to look good. If the players stayed with the red, it was going to look good. It was just a majority vote and the majority voted for the black. I’m happy all the way around. The uniforms look good, we’re going to look good, we just need to play good.”

Vick on the logo and the helmet:
“It’s taking something old and making it new. You can see the falcon’s eyes now. In the past, you couldn’t see the Falcon’s eyes. In the past, you couldn’t see the eyes, but you can see them now. It (the logo) has a fast look to it. It’s sporty, sort of fast, a little flashy. I’m not a flashy person, though, but I look flashy in this uniform.”

Linebacker Keith Brooking on the change:
“It just goes to show what our owner’s all about and what he’s done. Really, the main thing is that our fans like this uniform because they’re the ones that are looking at it every Sunday. The players definitely do. Everyone they showed today I’m very happy with and like. It’s a great thing to be a Falcon, that’s for sure.”

Brooking on his preference of uniform color:
“I like the black on black. I think that’s a good defensive color. I think those offensive guys, Peerless and Warrick, they came out in white on white. There’s a little bit of softness to it. I really like the black on black with the black helmets and the black shoes, it just has a little more ‘umph’ to it. It’s cool.”

Brooking on his favorite of the Falcons’ uniforms through the years:
“I think definitely the black on black and I like the white on white as well. It looks good. Really, when you first looking at it, you’re used to looking at something for so long, it was tough to really adjust to it. But the more I looked at it (they’ve been setting in our equipment room for about three weeks) every time I walk by them I like them more and more. The thing about our logo is they changed it, but they still kind of kept with the tradition of it. People who look at our helmets are still going to know it’s the Falcons. Yet, there’s more detail to it, it stands out more on the black helmet, it’s nice. It’s well done all around.”

Brooking on the early goings of the redesign:
“That’s the thing about Mr. Blank: he wants our input. We met last year during camp, a few of us, and kind of just told him where we stood and what we liked and I think they took that into consideration.”

Wide receiver Peerless Price on the color combinations:
“I more of the kind of guy to like white on white and the black on black like Mike Vick had on. I really don’t like to mix and match the pants with the jersey colors, but if that’s what we’ve got to do, that’s what we’ve got to do. If I had my preference, it’d be white on white, black on black.”

Price on being a model:
“It just developed this week when they asked me to do it. I’ve always dreamed of being a model, I guess this was my one chance. I hope I can keep the crowd going ‘koo-koo’ on the field on Sundays.”

Defensive end Patrick Kerney on potential uniform critics:
“Let them say what they want, I think it looks awesome. We’re probably a little ahead of our time in the NFL, which is good. Let everyone else catch up to us.”

Kerney on the new logo:
“I though the logo was all right when I first saw it, but once I saw it on the helmet I liked it a lot better.”

Kerney on the uniform making the team faster:
“I think so. I think we’re going to go out and time forties after this and I’m expected at least two tenths off mine just because of the uniform.”

Tight end Alge Crumpler on the change in style:
“Arthur Blank is coming in here and taking a stand for the entire organization. This is his team. He got a lot of input from the fans, the fans are getting the product that they want on the field and now they’re getting the product that they like to see each and every week. That’s why we’re excited today.”