The first three or four Panini products they previewed were disappointing to say the least. Even more frustrating were the fact that both Prestige and Elite were some of the better Panini products of the year last year. Today we got our first look at 2013 Momentum, a set that I believed was one of the worst of the year for the entire class. For the most part, its about as big an upgrade as I have seen in a Panini product so far this year.

Here is what it was like last year:

2012 Momentum Andrew Luck Triple Jersey Auto

2012 Momentum Robert Griffin III Jumbo Prime Patch

2012 Momentum Russell Wilson Triple Prime Patch Auto

2012 Momentum Joe Montana Laundry Tag Patch Auto

My biggest complaint with Momentum last year was the Triple Threads style approach they took on the box hits. The cards were EXTREMELY boring, and on top of that, ugly. The lack of a player picture that extended the full length of the card made it look like someone was playing tetris on the design, as everything was neatly stacked on the front.

This year, there is a much more dynamic approach that highlights the action shots we should be getting from the rookie premiere in two weeks. Although most of these cards wont feature these ridiculous patches, they will be pretty nice looking for a pre-season release. Im glad they went a completely different direction with the theme here, as the cards look a million times better. Lets just hope Panini’s obsession with the big white box goes away. Its not a good situation as we can see.

Much to my dismay they are previewing the return of the “Studs” set, which highlights players who wear earrings. Im not kidding, that’s actually the case as displayed in last year’s version. The earring is embellished with a diamond or some idiotic theme like that, and as a result makes this whole thing a complete joke. If I had a vote, this would be one of the worst themes ever done in any product – even if it is a rehash from another product of the past.

Here are the rest of the cards: