Starting a collection of NFL authentics and have questions

Hey all! Well, I'm finally at the point in time that I can afford to start a collection of authentic NFL jerseys and I have some questions as I get started because I want to do this right and not make mistakes. As of right now, I'm beginning with the current Nike era (maybe I'll get into some older stuff some day) Nike Elites. Since I'm brand new to this and am pretty clueless about collecting authentics, I hope someone can help me get started and steer me in the right direction so I understand what I should do.

First, I want to get a little information about the Nike Elites. Basically I'm wondering what the differences would be between an Elite that was "pre-made" (usually a popular player that many people want to buy the jersey of) and an Elite that was customized (you'd do this if you wanted a player that may not be in high demand, like an offensive tackle or kicker, that isn't sold "pre-made" or if you wanted your own name on it). Do these pre-made jerseys differ from a customized one in any ways and if so what are the differences?

Second, what is the best place to buy an Elite? I know they're sold online on NFLShop, online on each team's online "pro shop", and sometimes even at each team's store at it's stadium and other retail stores like Laux Sporting Goods, etc. The customized ones to my knowledge would only be available online but I know some of the stadium stores and retailers, although mostly stocked with the Replicas, usually have a couple pre-made authentics available as well (not many though because I imagine they don't sell too often because of price and many casual fans and non-collectors just go with the Game or Limited ones instead). Obviously if you're doing an authentic you'd want the lettering, numbering, materials used, everything to be identical to what's being worn on the field by the player. However, I've actually done some research online and heard that an Elite ordered off NFLShop and the same Elite ordered off the team's online store might not be completely identical. I've read about people buying one of each and comparing them and there being a few slight differences in letter and number size and I even heard that some people have received Elites from NFLShop and say that the numbers weren't made with the correct twill as advertised and have more of a "plastic-y" feel to them. Why aren't these pre-made Elites all the same? It makes sense that the customs might differ from the pre-mades because they are probably made a bit different but how do you know which to buy to match what the player is wearing on the field if there are differences here?

For example, I'm starting with the Cardinals and going from there and I'd like my first Cards jersey to be an 2012 Elite Larry Fitzgerald home. But which one is the right one to get? The pre-made one from NFLShop? The pre-made one from the Arizona Cardinals' online "pro shop" store? I imagine the ones at the Cardinals' actual team store in the stadium in Arizona are the same as their online store ones. Or do I need to get a customized one from NFLShop or the Cardinals' online store with "Fitzgerald - 11" instead? For the cuzstomized ones how do you know where the customization is done and if they're matching the on-field customization?

Basically, I'm used to collecting NHL hockey jerseys, where specifics matter. You first have to get a hold of the correct blank jersey based on season and then send it to the team's official customizer to ensure you're getting the correct customization. You have to look at the style and tags and pinpoint which season the jersey was worn to ensure you purchase the right one. If you got a blank Reebok Edge 2.0 but wanted a jersey of a player who played with that team when the jerseys were Reebok Edge 1.0's, it makes the whole jersey inaccurate and you'd need to find a Reebok Edge 1.0 to make it what you wanted. To my knowledge, football jerseys are different, as they usually don't make them blank, so it seems your options are either pre-made or custom ones and I have no idea if there's any tag differences and means of "dating a jersey" in football.

Any help would be appreciated tremendously and I apologize if this is all a jumbled and confusing mess. After learning about how to collect NHL authentics, I really want to learn everything you need to know if you want to collect NFL authentics the right way, specifically for the current Nike era Elites. I plan on getting some of these Elites autographed and authenticated and possibly framed so I want to do everything right to make this collection perfect.

Hi and welcome to the forum.  The pre made elites have the correct stretch twill that Nike uses and what is on the players jerseys. It seems that custom jobs from NFL shop use the old tackle twill from the reebok era. Not only is this incorrect, it's sometimes the wrong color.  We have a member on here that bought 2 saints jerseys, 1 pre made and the other custom. The difference was quite obvious and he ended up returning the custom.

While the quality of the elites are awesome, they are not comfortable to wear at all. Due to this, I've started getting the Nike Limited line. The quality on these are far better than the reebok premier jerseys.

I hope I answered some questions for you.

Welcome to the world of NFL jerseys. As Chris says the elites are very well made but are not all that comfortable to wear. The limited range is a better fit for most people when it comes to wearing them.

As for pre made and customised, there have been examples of custom jerseys being made with any old twill left lying around the place. The jerseys themselves are the same, but some customisers don't really seem to mind that the twill is not accurate. My advice is to get a pre made jersey, especially if it's a popular player like Fitzgerald, and only go custom if it's a player that isn't made in bulk.

My Roethlisberger Elite jersey came direct from NFLShop. The letters on the nameplate are way smaller than what you see Ben wearing on the field.

Also I was surprised when I went to a Steelers home game in October. 90% of people wearing jerseys were wearing the correct black home jerseys.