I absolutely agree that this looked better on the field and in photos. Those older shoulderpads made people look so freaking huge. More threatening. More bulky. It was a lot more blue-collar look back then. Now it's all stuff that's more form fitting and thinner. I almost want to say that they've changed them over time so players would feel less "invincible" because they were wearing such bulky pads. I may be wrong on that though, it's bit fuzzy in my memory.
Unfortunately, no matter the reason why pads have changed, the modern style doesn't have enough room for those beautiful numbers. Which sucks, because it did look better.