Friday, February 26, 2016

eBay Photomania

As you’ll find through the offseason, Packerville, U.S.A. is updated semi-frequently. Today, we’re posting many old photos that we found (and on which anyone can bid) via eBay. Perhaps one or two have been on this site before, but after nine years, who can remember? Above, we see a team photo taken at Rockwood Lodge in 1947. Bid on this item here.

1929 NFL Champions team photo. Bid on this item here

Hall of Fame player Clarke Hinkle. Bid on this item here.

“The 1925 Packer Football Team” photo. Bid on this item here

1965 NFL Title Game sweep photo. Bid on this item here.

HB Paul Hornung magazine ad photo. Bid on this item here

Vince Lombardi diagramming plays on chalkboard. Bid on this item here

 1962 NFL Champions team photo. Bid on this item here.

Line of scrimmage photo — 1965 NFL Title game. Bid on this item here

1933 Green Bay Packers team photo. Bid on this item here.

QB Bart Starr passes against the Rams in L.A. Bid on this item here

1944 NFL Champs in the Polo Grounds locker room. Bid on this item here

1927 Green Bay Packers team photo. Bid on this item here

1938 Western Division Champions. Bid on this item here

1960’s generic Packers player poster. Bid on this item here

HB Paul Hornung Magazine photo #1. Bid on this item here

HB Paul Hornung Magazine photo #2. Bid on this item here.

HB Paul Hornung Magazine photo #3. Bid on this item here.

HB Paul Hornung runs against San Francisco. Bid on this item here.

QB Bart Starr passes against the Baltimore Colts. Bid on this item here

1967 NFL Champions team photo. Bid on this item here

1939 NFL Champions team photo. Bid on this item here

 1974 Green Bay Packers team photo. Bid on this item here.

The Packers take the field in Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Bid on this item here

Vince Lombardi and players on the Super Bowl I sideline in L.A. Bid on this item here

QB Bart Starr in the heat on the road. Bid on this item here

HB Paul Hornung against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bid on this item here

HB Paul Hornung and FB Jim Taylor on the sideline. Bid on this item here

RB Tom Moore finds daylight vs. the Colts. Bid on this item here

Vince Lombardi carried off the field. Bid on this item here

Player introductions before Super Bowl I. Bid on this item here

One last photo of HB Paul Hornung gaining yards against the Cardinals. Bid on item here.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

New Helmet Design

We came cross this recently, and thought it might be a good thing to share now that the season is over. It’s the VICIS ZERO1 — a new football helmet design which might be a promising option for the future. Even with better cushioning, the issues of reducing blows to the head must be of prime importance to the league, if the game is to survive.






VICIS ENGINEERS AND NEUROSURGEONS HAVE DEVELOPED A MULTILAYERED, HIGHLY-ENGINEERED HELMET DESIGN THAT MITIGATES LINEAR AND ROTATIONAL IMPACT FORCES

THE LODE SHELL™
Absorbs impact load by locally deforming, like a car bumper. Automotive safety engineers have used local deformation to protect people for decades. We’re the first to bring this proven innovation to football helmets.

THE CORE LAYER™
Employs a highly-engineered columnar structure that moves omni-directionally to reduce linear and rotational forces. The columnar geometry used in our CORE Layer is based on principles first described by Leonhard Euler, a Swiss physicist in the 1700s.

The LODE Shell and CORE Layer work together to reduce impact forces, leveraging well established engineering principles and materials long-used in stringent aerospace and automotive applications. Tested to withstand multiple seasons of play, the VICIS ZERO1 delivers 21st century innovation built on bedrock scientific principles.

THE VICIS AXIS FIT SYSTEM™
A great fitting helmet is critical to comfort and safety. The current standard is to measure head circumference, but that approach has serious limitations. Consider two rooms with a circumference of 100’. While the rooms share the same circumference, they have markedly different dimensions: One measures 10’ x 40’ while the other measures 25’ x 25’. Human head anatomy is also variable; the same circumference could yield scores of different head lengths and breadths. Traditional sizing approaches do not account for these differences.

The VICIS AXIS Fit System incorporates head length and breadth measurements to determine a player’s optimal helmet size. Informed by detailed head measurements of hundreds of current and former NFL and NCAA football players, the AXIS Fit System provides an anatomically correct fit based on the unique head shapes of elite athletes. The ZERO1 offers 12 different sizing combinations, eliminating the need for shims and air bladders, taking comfort and safety to a new level.

After determining the player’s optimal helmet size with the AXIS Fit System, the ZERO1’s two innermost layers provide additional protection and exceptional fit and comfort:

THE ARCH SHELL™
The AXIS Fit System determines the relationship between head length and breadth measurements (commonly called an “aspect ratio”) for a player and facilitates selection of an appropriately sized ARCH Shell. There are 3 different ARCH Shells available, providing outstanding fit and additional protection.

THE FORM LINER™
The FORM Liner is designed to work in unison with the ARCH Shell. Constructed of special foams and waterproof textiles, the FORM Liner conforms to the player’s unique head topography and distributes pressure uniformly around the head. There are 4 different FORM Liners available to enable unparalleled comfort and precise fit. 

And here’s a mock-up of how it would look with Green Bay’s colors. The larger face mask could present issues with the helmet logo, but we’re sure they could figure out a solution.

Friday, February 12, 2016

The NFL’s New York Headquarters

 
Here’s some non-Packers specific material that we thought might be of interest to some of you. If you’ve ever wondered what the NFL’s New York headquarters looks like, keep on reading. From the company who designed it:

In 2012, Ted Moudis Associates (TMA) teamed up with the NFL to create a new headquarters for the organization at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. “One of the NFL’s most important goals for the project was to carry its strong brand identity throughout the design. Our team worked closely with the NFL’s Creative Group to develop a design that celebrated the NFL Brand while providing the organization with an amazing workplace.

The program included general office space, conferencing facilities including a League Room for owners’ meetings, an employee cafeteria with full cooking kitchen, an interconnecting stair between the four main office floors, a multipurpose room that supports both medium and large scale functions, a fitness center with locker and shower facilities, and an employee store. Each of the organization’s floors is a representation of one of the “Four Pillars” of the NFL: The Game, The Teams, The Fans, and Innovation. The architectural finishes, furnishings, and graphics change on each of these floors to emphasize the floor’s theme. The heart of the organization can be found at the center of the 5th floor, where the Officiating Command Center is located. There are also two outdoor terraces on the 6th floor; one adjacent to the main reception area and the other as an extension of the employee cafeteria.

The TMA Design team prepared test fit studies that helped the NFL understand how different planning approaches could affect the overall efficiency of the floor plan as well as the quality of the spatial design. With these plans, TMA was able to help the NFL establish new standards that provided them with a flexible plan that allows them to continue to change and grow over time. By bringing the majority of the offices to the interior and maintaining collaborative zones at the corners of each floor, TMA was able to maximize the amount of natural light that reaches the workplace.

In order to represent the power and energy of the game, the regular, orthogonal nature of the plan is juxtaposed with architectural elements that cut through the space in dynamic and angular fashion. These angular elements include the ceiling planes, accent metal and carpet inlays in the floor, and continuous linear light features that also provide an element of way-finding. Throughout the space, TMA integrated collaborative zones that support daily employee interactions as well as provide an opportunity to highlight different elements and products that make up the NFL.”
















The NFL’s building at 345 Park Avenue, New York. Besides the NFL, other tenants include The Blackstone Group, Consulate General of Ireland, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capital Trust, Deutsche Bank, Enterprise Ireland, KPMG, and Piper Jaffray.