The NFL’s big men agree: New jerseys make us look fat, even when we’re not

Surprise, surprise -- some of the NFL players you'd think would care the least about personal appearance actually do notice when you note, and they're not at all happy about the ways in which NIKE's new uniforms, introduced for the 2012 season, fit their forms. To be specific, the offensive and defensive linemen, frequently known as the "big fatties" for obvious and legitimate reasons, are not amused by the cuts of the new jerseys. "I hate them. They are built for thin guys," San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone told the Wall Street Journal . "It makes me look like I have big old love handles." It's not just the players who are aghast; it's the people whose opinions matter most to them. Like Boone's wife, who upon seeing her husband in his new duds, "said, 'It looks like you ate a small baby.'" Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Terrence Cody, who weighs at least 350 on his most diet-friendly day, agreed. "I don't really care for the new jerseys. I feel like they should put different material in for the big guys." There is actually a school of applied thought behind tight jerseys for linemen on both sides of the ball -- decades ago, a wave of players started wearing...