People seem to have this romanticized memory of Gene Upshaw, but in reality he had his share of critics amongst the players, especially retired players who felt he didn't do enough for them and catered more to active players. He was also viewed by many as being a little too close with NFL execs and didn't always have the best interests of the players in mind.
I honestly don't know enough about De Smith yet. He does seem to have strong support from the players. Plus he's a Skins fan, so he can't be that bad.
