New Look for NFL.com

At first glance, I love the new softer colors and ease of readabilty of the new site, not to mention the fact that the first time I loaded the new home page, the feature image was of Seahawk Ben Obamanu making a spectacular one-handed catch! (although he got ripped off in the underlying Top 10 highlight reel, placing 2nd to some RedSlur making a tackle sans helmet)

So now, let's start with a top to bottom physical of the new features and design. (click the image to open NFL.com in a new window)

I like the real estate saving listing of the team logos at the top of the site, and notice they're in alphabetical rather than divisional order.

Not sure what the huge wasted white space is just below it, but there sure seems to be something missing to the left of the Free Fantasy Football graphic. My guess is that it will be used for sponsored advertising, which is sad, since it's putting the almighty dollar in a higher position of prominance than the NFL Sheild.

I love the green bar listing the upcoming games, with start date/time and what I'm guessing will be live scoring updates, but was astonished that they only list 14 boxes across. Last I checked there were 32 teams in the league, and even though there's a few bye-weeks on the schedule, there's certainly enough space to fit all 16 boxes on the masthead instead of forcing the visitor to scroll to the right to see the later games.

The use of tabs is effective and not over-done, allowing the visitor to easily toggle between the current Headlines and the My Team page, as well as toggle between the NFL Network and Game Clips video segments.

The My Team area requests your username and password, but it does not include the customary links to a Forgot Password page. I tried to log in unsucessfully several times, and it wasn't until about the 5th attempt that it bounced me over to a Login Help page.

Going Below the Fold

Below the Fold is a newspaper term indicating the lesser stories that are placed on the bottom half of the front page, getting somewhat less exposure. In web terms, this refers to the content that is not immediately viewable when the home page loads, requiring the visitor to scroll down.

There is a lot of additional information available on NFL.com below the fold, none of which is deserving of a higher profile.

There is another application of a tabbed box, again which is effective, allowing the user to select between the standard Fantasy, Spotlight and Voices features of the site.

Even the necessary boxes for NFL Shop and NFL Field Pass are done tastefully and blend in well with the rest of the site, rather than appearing like some used car lot commercial on late night local TV.

The NFL Network box contains an animated graphic, which I generally dispise, but the use of muted colors and the relative importance of the information displayed makes it tolerable.

The Poll Question box seems way too big in reference to the rest of the site, but that's probably governed by the Sirius sponsorship than anything else. The rest of the site features, By The Numbers, This Day In The NFL, Photos and Around The League, are pretty much web fodder, appropriate earning them the lowest spot on the home page.

But that's not all.

At the bottom of the site is a tremendous list of categorized text-based links to NFL Sites, NFL International, NFL Network, NFL Events, NFL Corporate and NFL On the Go. The best of these might be the real live Contact Us link under NFL Corporate, which allows the fan to provide immediate feedback to the League via a web form.

The Subject categories within this area need to be expanded to include areas like NFL Network, Broadcast Network Partners, Officiating, etc., but it's great to have a means to drop Richie Cunningham a quick note to let him know what you think.

I submitted a message regarding NFL Network, and was surprised that I didn't receive a confirmation email. Usually these types of feedback systems have an automated reply telling you your message has been received and thanking you for the input, but adding that personal responses to inquiries cannot be guaranteed.

All in all I think it's a great face lift for a design that was getting a little long in the tooth. Now I'm hoping upon hope that Seahawks.com follows suit.

Gene Upshaw, The %@# Damn Effervescent Diplomat

It's no wonder that the NFL Players' Union sucks. Their chief spokesman and negotiator, Gene Upshaw, is a babbling idiot.

Case One: Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure, one of the leading advocates of retired NFL players who are in need of financial assistance, and an outspoken critic of the the league's lack of care for retired players, recently had the joy of reading the following threat in the Philadelphia Daily News last week.

"A guy like DeLamielleure says the things he said about me; you think I'm going to invite him to dinner? No. I'm going to break his ... damn neck."

Nice to see you can resolve problems so amicably, Gene. Ever think of running for office? In Iran?

Case Two: In response to other criticism regarding his lack of attention to retired players, he offered this gem:

"The bottom line is I don't work for them. They don't hire me and they can't fire me. They can complain about me all day long. They can have their opinion. But the active players have the vote. That's who pays my salary."

That's swell, Gene. Thanks for being such a great listener.

Case Three: Mike Ditka criticizes Upshaw. Once again, over the provisions for retired players. He immediately started wielding his schlong:

"It was irresponsible and shows how dumb [Ditka] is. I didn't just come to this rodeo. I've been doing this since 1983. When did he start? Last year? I get upset when people say I turned our back on players. The NFL never turned its back on anybody."

"Look, I was in the Hall of Fame before Mike Ditka got there [in 1988]. (Upshaw was inducted in 1987) He just runs his mouth. He doesn't want to know the facts."

Lets' see here... You're more right becasue you were inducted a year before Ditka... OK, I get it. That makes perfect sense.

Bottom line, the NFL and the NFLPA are too big for horseshit like this. Upshaw needs to go. Every time Upshaw opens his pie hole with headline fodder, he discredits the union and the NFL owners smile.

Asante Samuel Doesn't Feel Appreciated

Asante Samuel is a damn fine football player. He knows it. The Patriots know it. So does the rest of the NFL, so that's why they slapped the franchise tag on him.

If he signs the tender, it will earn him 7.79 million freaking dollars. But that's not good enough. He's pissed. He wants a long term contract. He's going to sit out. Not just training camp. Not just preseason. He's going to bake cookies and watch the kids until week 10 of the regular season, according to ESPN.com:

"I'm not coming to camp. I'm not showing up until the 10th week [of the season]. I feel unappreciated. The way they're treating me is just wrong."

So now, as average-joe football fan, I am pissed. Pissed that the franny tag even exists in it's current form.

It used to be a nice compromise between players and teams. But not anymore. There is so much money involved in the contracts these days that when a player in his prime signs a one year tender, it presents a tremendous financial risk. If they sustain an injury, the prospects of them receiving good contacts in future years is relatively meager.

But I'm admittedly torn, however. The flip side of this -- you're a freaking millionaire, Asante. Shut up and play the game.

It's time that the NFL revise the franchise tag system. Richie Cunningham, are you listening?