The player animations are smoother and closer to life. You can adjust many levels of visual detail. With the detail maxed-out, you can watch your players' uniforms get dirtier as the game goes by. The playing field will slowly get that worn-down look in the middle, especially if you're playing on a rainy day. Footprints will show up in the snow and mud on the field.
Sidelines are more dynamic, but all of the players there still wear the same number.
Not a bad thing if you prefer 88, but goofy for the rest of us. Cheerleaders now shake their moneymakers on the sideline. Unfortunately, the EA Sports people didn't do their homework, because there have never been Giants cheerleaders in the Meadowlands. You will, however, see them in Madden 2001 's Giants Stadium. Fan-created posters and signs also cannot be hung in the Meadowlands, so it was interesting to see them strewn about the stadium.