I rather like this idea. This is probably the most common request on facebook.

The idea for moving number is actually pretty elegant in that it would be a simple enough animation that they could actually focus on the engine changes necessary to calculate moving players.

As a programmer, I know this would (still) be a massive change. Namely because it's a simple 2D layout. If you are looking for 3D animation, forget it. Once a game is developed in 2D it's a huge undertaking to change to 3D (go to a game that's already 3D!).