Texans fans, circle November 19 on your calendars. The Colts are coming to Reliant Stadium on Thursday Night Football, and the Texans are going to debut brand-new Rivalries uniforms for the occasion. Texans SVP and CMO Doug Vosik recently sat down with the Houston Chronicle recently, and what he shared has me counting the days until the unveil.
The NFL's Rivalries uniforms initiative lets two divisions per year design an alternate look worn once a season against their biggest division rival. Some fans might've expected the Titans to be the opponent for this one, but Vosik explained exactly how the decision was made. "What it really came down to in the conversations with the McNairs was really this: What division team has most recently presented ourselves with the most competitive games and games of consequence?" Vosik said. "If you look at the past couple years especially, it has been the Colts. Those games of consequence are what turns into really good rivalries in the past, present and future."
So what about the uniform itself? Vosik kept plenty close to the vest, but the hints he dropped were exciting. "You've heard Hannah talk a lot about the importance of H-Town Blue as part of our culture here," he said. "She's been really vocal and direct in the press that every time we have a uniform refresh, every time we have an opportunity, we're going to keep advocating for a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. We really mean that and take that to heart and we know that's still a driving force behind a good amount of our fan base to represent a color of the city and a color of the culture."
Battle Red is going to be part of the equation too. The H-Town Blue and Battle Red options are the two best-selling uniforms and the players' favorites.
What really got my attention was the creative concept behind the look. Vosik talked about the team pushing for something nobody else has done. "How can you tell a local story that we haven't told yet?" he said. "What's a local story or something that inspires us creatively that teams haven't tapped into yet? When I say that, you know a lot of teams have tapped into Space City, and it's so great, but what's a story that hasn't been told? What's something that's maybe a market secret that not everybody knows about but a lot of Houstonians take pride in or once they discover Houston has it, they go, 'Wow, that's special, that's cool.'"
And here's the fun part — Vosik says the team has actually been dropping Easter eggs since the end of last season, working clues into the artwork on the website and social media channels. When the big reveal finally happens, Vosik promises fans will look back and say, "Oh man, they've been giving us bread crumbs the whole time."
I can't wait to see these in person, and you know John and I are going to break it all down right here on the podcast the moment they drop. Subscribe to Texans All-Access on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you're ready when we go live.
For the full story, check out the Houston Chronicle's exclusive with Doug Vosik.
