Backstage last night at Radio City Music Hall, well before the Chiefs’ selection with the 11th pick in the draft was announced, I saw someone carrying a red jersey with white letters and yellow trim that had the name “POE” on the back. I resisted the temptation (unlike another guy in the media who repeatedly took a page from his apple-eating Biblical namesake) to broadcast the pick via Twitter. Besides, I was more curious about something else.
How many different jerseys with “POE” on the back were in the building, and how could I finagle one of them?
League spokesman Brian McCarthy has supplied the answer: None.
For the first time ever, Nike was customizing the jerseys on site. Thus, for any of the 26 men in the green room, a jersey would have been instantly prepared for any team taking any player.
Brian sent along the picture of the process, with the names of each player ready to be printed up and applied to the back of the jerseys.
So there will be no collector’s items this year or, apparently, in any future years, like the Colts jersey bearing the name and number of Ryan Leaf, which Dan Patrick has in his studio.
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I noticed that last night. They’d show the player hugging his family for a couple of minutes, while the letters were being pressed on. Then they’d go out to shake hands with the Commish.
Typical of my team to pick a guy who wasn’t even in the green room, so they don’t even get to show off the brand-new jerseys that Nike was hyping so much.
Hopefully next year they will get hats that can actually fit the players.
that was the coolest thing ever thanks nike
Could use that Colt’s jersey for my next oil change.
The only reason I started following you guys on twitter was because of my boy Adam Schefter. I can stop following if you’re gonna take pot shots at the man.
dawsonfoto says:
Apr 27, 2012 10:01 AM
Hopefully next year they will get hats that can actually fit the players.
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Dontarie Poe would be thrilled.
“For the first time ever, Nike was customizing the jerseys on site. Thus, for any of the 26 men in the green room, a jersey would have been instantly prepared for any team taking any player.”
Wow, what a golden age we live in…
What a time to be alive.
Poe should have been a Raven.
Just a crying shame.
Thank the Lord that Seattle picked a third rounder in the first so we could all be spared from seeing that hideous new jersey.
@dawsonfoto says:
Apr 27, 2012 10:01 AM
Hopefully next year they will get hats that can actually fit the players.
If these guys didnt have these crazy cornrolls that went 5 inches above their heads the hats would have fit fine.
Too bad they can’t customize the hat sizes on site. RG3, Poe, and most of those players would’ve really enjoyed to get a hat that would actually go on their head.
NFLN stated several times during the broadcast, right after the 1st pick that this was the case and Nike was hot pressing in realtime.
rooneyruleblues says:
Apr 27, 2012 10:27 AM
@dawsonfoto says:
Apr 27, 2012 10:01 AM
Hopefully next year they will get hats that can actually fit the players.
If these guys didnt have these crazy cornrolls that went 5 inches above their heads the hats would have fit fine.
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Look at them sideburns! He looks like a girl. Now, Johnny Unitas, there’s a haircut you could set your watch to.
I work at a soccer store and we put number and names. It’s not that hard
As long as the machine is ready it takes about 15 seconds or less.
Lol yes! I was wondering about how they did that. It made me think the draft was just like proffesional wrestling and everything was planned in advance. But with the hats, I guarantee they’d fit fine if the majority of the players didn’t have cornrows or dreads. But does this mean there won’t be any rookie Jersey football cards?
Is that why it took 15 minutes to announce each pick? Or was the NFL dragging out the program to ensure a full hour of ads/commercials?
Pretty cool that they did that, but kind of a bummer for the kids in third world countries that would’ve gotten the useless jerseys made in advance.
How many 7 year old Chinese girls were back there??
I thought that was a nice little cherry on top for the draft picks this year to get a jersey with their names on it already unlike past years they just got a jersey with no name and a #1 on it. Nike is on top of it.
glad seattle’s pick wasnt there and they didnt show their horrible jerseys
That was a nice touch for the players to have their names on the backs of the jerseys as they held it up for the cameras and Goodell. I worked in a store that would customize names and numbers on shirts for soccer or football, and it’s pretty quick. Those Nike slave labor guys had plenty of time to press the name from the time the teams turned the card in as the player gave all his hugs to everyone in the Green room to the time he finally made it out on stage.
rc33 says: Apr 27, 2012 10:18 AM
Poe should have been a Raven.
Just a crying shame.
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I agree, the NFL missed one there!
This news is so wonderful.
I was hopeing that RG3 would get his haircut before the draft
It slowed down the entire process – come on man it’s not worth it
You can go to NFL shop online and have any team’s jersey, with any name and number you want. So if you want a Colts/Leaf jersey like D. Patrick, or a Redskin’s that says RG3, they will make it for you.
I work for a company that makes the printing machines that makes these jerseys. Pretty cool process. Not as unique/exciting as some people are getting about it. Its just ink and heat. Not rocket science. I’ve also been to the facility where they are made.
Nothing like velour jerseys. And those hats you can crap in.
Wow! Big deal on the “iron-on transfers”. Not like we did not have this super technology in the early 70′s. But hey, Nike is so damn innovative… guess that’s why they get $90 for a jersey made for less than 7 bucks.
It’s not the hats that are the problem, it’s the crazy hairdo’s. Seems like each generation of players trys to outdo the next in being “different”or outlandish with their hair. From Bosworth to RG3. The male extension braids are giving way to cornrolls and dreds. They have to make the same compromise as women, if they want to wear a hat.
RG3, cut the hair and keep the socks.
Thanks to “Stahls” and ‘Transfer Express”? for the logistics ! See your NFL retailer or local custom shirt and NFL retailer.
by the way its not the ‘iron-on’ transfer of yester-year. The ‘iron-on’ is now digital made ‘transfer’ and you can NOT use the ‘normal’ ‘iron’ to ‘transfer’