Today on facebook, Topps posted some of the images from 2011 Topps Football, a product that is usually the first post rookie premiere set for them during the card season. Because I think the 2011 Topps Baseball set was nicely designed, obviously this set is also nicely designed with a few exceptions. Overall, Im sure this is only the tip of the iceberg for this year’s product, and as things get closer to the release, we will get a better idea of what is going to be happening.

A few things did stick out for me though, things that dont spell good things for the whole year of football cards in the midst of a labor dispute. First, the rookie premiere autos which are usually a re-imagining of the base design with pictures taken at the premiere are looking a bit off. Because they are mock ups and not the real cards, we cant say for sure that the final products wont feature premiere photos. On the other hand its definitely a cause for concern that the mockups look the way they do.

With the NFLPA decertified and the NFL in the midst of a lockout, its safe to say that an event usually run by those organizations is in jeopardy of not happening this year. Not only will that mean a lack of pro jersey photos, but it will also means that event used swatches appear in almost every product during the year will have to be obtained another way. Although I would actually welcome this situation for a lot of the crappy products that Panini puts out, it would make products like a redux of Five Star or similarly structured products impossible to make profitable. That is a bad thing. A very bad thing.

Outside of the rookie premiere autos looking off, im not quite sure how I feel about some of the other cards they are previewing. I get a very Panini feel off the “Faces of the Franchise” card, and the Game Day card of Peterson doesnt feel like a normal part of a set like this. The Super Bowl Legends card with the venue relic is absolutely idiotic, but the style like the star auto is nicer. The other cards are all going to depend on the final execution, something that may be extremely problematic.

Lets just hope more of the cards look like the base cards and less like the rookie premiere autos.

Here are the previews: