Football's fashion craze seems silly

SALT LAKE CITY — According to some coaches, Boise State, which hasn't lost a home football game since 2001, has an unfair advantage. It has nothing to do with preparation or a creative playbook or recruiting.

It's their uniforms.

The Mountain West Conference recently announced that the Broncos cannot wear their all-blue uniforms for league home games — opposing coaches think it makes them, ahem, invisible on their blue turf field, especially while scouting film. "What we had heard from our coaches is 'a competitive advantage,' " said commissioner Craig Thompson.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen was upset that his team can't wear one of the Broncos' favorite gridiron ensembles. "I thought it was ridiculous," he said.

He got that right. It is ridiculous, and not merely for the reason he thinks. What in the name of Dick Butkus is going on in football these days? Have you noticed how many teams have third jerseys (or more), throwback jerseys, "special edition uniforms," "combat uniforms," uniforms that reverse the primary and secondary colors, etc., etc?

During the last few years, football coaches — guys who used to wear Sans-A-Belt slacks — have turned into Ives St. Laurent. They're mixing and matching uniforms like Ken and Barbie.

Did you hear Petersen's response to the fuss over the all-blue unis?

"Nike has saved us by giving us a bunch of different combinations," Petersen said. "... If we can't wear what we want to wear, then we will wear a bunch of different other stuff."

What a relief! The Broncos have white, orange and blue pants and white, orange, blue and gray jerseys. The toughest decision Petersen has to make each week is what to wear on Saturday night.

"We've got enough color combinations that we'll still look good on the blue," says quarterback Kellen Moore.

And Vince Lombardi just puked.

Since when did football teams start coordinating their "outfits" with the field and mixing and matching their ensembles? Can anyone imagine Mike Ditka, Jack Lambert or Ray Nitschke fussing over their gridiron attire like a bunch of teenage girls.

What am I going to wear tomorrow?!"