App of the week: NFL 2011
The 2011 NFL season (US) may be under way, but what better way to keep track of stats, scores, and standings from your favorite team than the official NFL tablet application? Hit the jump to see why this is a must have for NFL fans hoping to keep up with their favorite teams.
The Rundown
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing the Indianapolis Colts tonight on Monday Night Football. I’m a big Buccaneers fan, being born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, and I’ll be looking for the Bucs to be 3-1 at the end of the night. I will of course watch the game on TV tonight, but I’ll have a friendly helper on my side feeding me the latest news, stats, and scores from across the league.
The NFL has done an excellent job marketing their product across the world, and this same commitment to their brand is saturated in their NFL 2011 application (Android and iOS). The design, feel, and navigation is truly second to none. The main section of the screen is an aggregated list of games for the weekend, which eventually displays scores as the games are in action. To the right of this main section, you get a good selection of videos from various sources, but mainly the NFL’s own network. NFL news and team news are also located within this right hand column, which provides a hefty amount of information always available for your consumption. I truly can’t stress how straightforward and easy the application is to use and interact with.
The Good
As I have already stated, the app is polished and is just simply a joy to use. Tap on a matchup, and you have instant access to offensive and defensive comparisons as well as game breakdowns from NFL.com. Statistics are found on the right hand side, which are easily compared between the two teams getting ready to face off. A hefty amount of highlight video, press conference, and game footage can also be found in the video section for up to the minute action around the NFL.
Fantasy Football fans will also enjoy this app, as the NFL has integrated their Fantasy League into this application. I’m not part of a Fantasy Football league through NFL.com, so I can’t really comment about the Fantasy section of the app, but I would imagine it’s as top notch as the rest of the application.
Game time information provides up to the minute ball movement, scores, and plays too. Never again will you have to wait in the dark waiting for your team to score to get updated information in the game. For those that need a little more than this though, the NFL has you covered with their audio pass. This lets subscribers get 24/7 coverage of the streaming NFL Audio Pass, which can be purchased monthly($9.99) or seasonally($22.49) at a reasonable rate.
The not so good
There may be plenty to praise for what the NFL has brought to the table here, but one of the slickest additions to the free app really misses the mark. The video section, while it may have plenty of videos and highlights to keep you interested, only displays videos in barely visible, grainy, standard definition footage. Trying to watch a Top 5 segment on an Asus Transformer with a 10-inch screen isn’t even semi-enjoyable. This excellent feature unfortunately becomes a moot point, and doesn’t get used at all, which is a shame.
The conclusion
The NFL has done an excellent job in expanding their brand over the decades, and this new venture into portable technology seems to be going as smoothly as things ever have. What more can you ask for when you have up to the minute stats, scores, and standings of the teams in the NFL at your fingertips for free anytime you want? Well, perhaps some watchable video footage, but this is yet another great app for the football fans among us.
[NFL 2011]
