The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: National Treasures hits and case breaks, the dirty Cincinnati Bengals, the dirty Pittsburgh Steelers, Carlos Correa, Panini Rewards and more ...

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They may just look like boxer shorts, but they aren't just any boxer shorts.

They're the boxer sports worn by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and they can be yours -- for a price.

No, really.

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The NFL's postseason kicks off with four games this weekend and it seems each of them have players to watch when it comes to collecting football cards.

Here's one player from all eight teams Buzz says could be of interest -- some obvious, some not.

J.J. Watt -- The Houston Texans' defensive dynamo and part-time tight end is basically a household name with his bloody noses and his Papa John's commercials, but when it comes to autographed Rookie Cards he might be overvalued. He's one of very few defensive stars to really get attention when it comes to cards, so it would take a monster game against the Chiefs to make those Contenders Rookie Cards even better buys. Sorry for the bad news there. (Maybe him being able to successfully complete a pizza curl in a follow-up Papa John's commercial would help?)

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What: 2016 Panini Contenders Draft Picks football cards
Arrives: March 9
Box basics: Five autographs per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: This year's top college stars who have declared for the 2016 NFL Draft will have some of their first cards here with the familiar pro look of Contenders while still showcasing their school colors.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza, Johnny Manziel, Steiner Sports, BGS 9.5s, Star Wars and more ...

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Steiner Sports knows that Cleveland Browns fans have had a tough time collecting autographs of good quarterbacks lately and the New Rochelle, N.Y.-based autograph and memorabilia company announced a new program Thursday that may help take away some of the collecting pain caused by Johnny Football -- and a few other notably bad quarterbacks in the team's past, too.

You can trade in one of your certified autographed items of any Browns starting QB since 1999 for a $100 gift card.

Seriously.

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If you're a regular Buzz reader, then you know all about the popularlity of San Francisco 49ers practice squad member Jarryd Hayne. He's a former rugby player from Australia whose limited NFL time this season sparked some interest in his Rookie Cards.

With the arrival of 2015 Panini Contenders this week, there was a new twist -- the company couldn't land an autograph deal for his Rookie Tickets. However, that didn't stop demand for his cardboard after Panini America decided to release the cards without ink but a stamp -- in short-printed fashion.

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For 2015-16 Panini America products that don't get a standalone story here on The Buzz when a final checklist is released, we'll place a link to a PDF of the set's checklist right here.

You'll be able to find all new checklists in PDF form as released by the company and all in one spot. (If traffic stats show us you guys like this format, we'll expand in other directions. If not, Buzz will focus on other stuff.)

Keep reading to see the Panini America checklists posted so far.

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At least one of them is no longer with his team, but there are five "Rookie Cards" in 2015 Panini Contenders that collectors might not expect to see.

And their autographs might go for more than you might expect, too.

Why? They're NFL coaches -- and they, for the most part, don't have any other certified autograph cards.

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What: 2016 Super Break Game-used Edition (memorabilia)
Arrives: Jan. 15
Box basics: One game-used memorabilia piece per box with some boxes including a bonus autographed model item.

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break's first release of the new year is all about game-used with a piece of memorabilia from top names in baseball, football, basketball and hockey to be found in this limited release.

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Panini America has revealed the checklist for its 2015 Panini Contenders football card set, giving collectors the first look at who's in and what variations there might be for this year's crop of rookies.

Click here to download a PDF of the checklist.

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to shop for 2015 football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

The biggest driver on football cards these days is the Rookie Card and now that the regular season is over most of those big-name newcomers are done for the year.

So, naturally, that makes us wonder who get the Rookie of the Year nod? We'll focus on offense since it matters the most when it comes to cards. (On defense Buzz thinks it will probably go to Kansas City's Marcus Peters, who tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions and two TDs.)

But on offense it's not as easy.

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Panini America starts off the new year with not one but four new products scheduled to arrive this week -- from four different sports, too. Meanwhile, there's only one other brand on the calendar.

The biggest for most collectors is the arrival of 2015 Panini Contenders football cards with the annual chase for the Rookie Ticket autographs one that's been a mainstay for years. Which ones will be short-prints? Which ones are variations and which ones aren't? We'll find out more beginning Wednesday. Each box includes at least five autographs -- and it looks like some of them might be coaches who have never signed before. Will those be short-prints? Should be interesting to watch.

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The Dallas Cowboys' QB put up impressive numbers in a game that was never even close -- but they still count.

Kellen Moore threw for 435 yards and three touchdowns (also throwing two picks and losing a fumble) in a 34-23 loss to Washington on Sunday, marking the end of a dismal season for the Cowboys and his last chance to make an impression on collectors before Tony Romo returns from injury next season. He ends the year with just four TDs and six picks since he only played in two other games this season -- all losses.

Will a game like this breath some long-term life into his 2012 Rookie Cards? Probably not, but it's a reminder that a good game can bring the spotlight to anyone in any week in the NFL -- so he gets the nod here.

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for four more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week. (Note: selections made before late games were completed on Sunday ... and watch for our yearly version of this list later this week.)

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Multi-player cards, player-worn patches, Court Kings, goals and resolutions for 2016, college football and more on the forum that recently joined the 10-Million Post Club.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is an odd one in terms of who gets in and who doesn't -- many memorable names from the past have yet to make the cut and many who do you might not know because of the positions they played and their relative lack of cardboard.

Part of that's on the hobby, but part of that is on the voters.

Buzz briskly scoured the record books to select five players who you probably have in your collections who aren't in Canton. Check 'em out ...

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It's a time of change, a time of high-end product exploration and a time of options for many collectors in what we call the sports card industry these days.

Tastes, products and prices continue to evolve as does the business environment that helps bring us our cardboard. For every super-pricey box being made, there are seemingly just as many buyers ready to rip or pick off singles for not-always-so-super prices (but super bargains).

The Buzz has only been around for part of 2015, but Buzz has been here all along as part of the world of collecting. Here are Buzz's picks for 15 cards that helped define 2015.

2015-16 Upper Deck #201 Connor McDavid RC
The impressive prices being paid for what's just a simple piece of cardboard with just gloss and some foil stamping shows that fundamentals never go out of style when there's a big name involved. This time, it's the No. 1 pick Connor McDavid, a Canadian phenom drafted by the Edmonton Oilers. This photo was selected by collectors and it even has a fun sign of 2015 -- the fan showing off a photo on her phone in the background.

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Another holiday week leads to another abbreviated release schedule for trading cards with just five brands on the tarmac and set to arrive beginning tomorrow.

We've got one from Leaf Trading Cards, one from Cryptozoic, one from Topps and two from Panini America and that's where we'll start off.

This week's NBA release is 2015-16 Panini Court Kings, a rookie-heavy art-style product that will include one autograph and one memorabilia card per 10-card box. It will also include box-toppers. This one will feature on-card autos as well as one Hot Box delivering extras in every 15-box case.

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The Atlanta Falcons took a 7-7 record into their game against the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Sunday and thanks to one guy's one big play they recorded their biggest win of the season.

The player was WR Julio Jones and the play was a 70-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter -- the biggest part of a nine-catch, 178-yard day. Jones has been one of the better receivers in the league, but this is one play for the highlight reels that could live on for some time.

His Rookie Cards can be found back in 2011 products and, in general, his autographs aren't all that plentiful. Combine that with interest from his past Alabama Crimson Tide fans and some of those early cards can be tougher to find.

>> Click here to shop for football boxes on BlowoutCards.com.

Keep reading for four more guys who generated some buzz on the field this week. (Note: This was published before the late games this week.)

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Admit it, you may have overdone things when it comes to buying football cards this year -- maybe past years, too -- and have a big ol' stash of cards you don't know what to do with. What do you keep? What do you jettison? That's where having a collecting focus comes in. If you haven't overdone it on wax, then maybe having a focus for your single-card buys is a need. (That's one even Buzz has struggled with over decades of collecting.)

One potential niche that seems prevalent this year in NFL and college sets? Cards showing the kids of former NFL players who have now made their way onto cardboard.

They seem to be everywhere this year. Second-generation players aren't anything new, of course, but they can be a fun way to revisit the past while also collecting the present. Buzz started his collecting days in the 1980s and, back then, a Joe Montana autograph wasn't an easy find -- plus, his handwriting didn't justify the high cost on a small budget. Fast-forward to 2015 and Nick Montana has cardboard. He won't be an NFL star -- he wasn't really even that good in college -- and the handwriting also isn't great, but he's got a certified autograph card.

Buzz wanted it, Buzz got it. Can't say the same thing for a Joe autograph, though, even all these years later.

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If you've watched any NFL games this season, you've likely heard the word "concussion" many times as the league has implemented new tests on players to help prevent future problems by assessing the here and now immediately following a hard hit.

On Christmas Day, a film about the issue of concussions in football called Concussion opens in theaters. You've probably seen the commercials for the film during NFL games.

Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It's a real-life issue that has affected more than 80 former players -- many you've seen on football cards and might have collected. The movie is an important one and Sports Illustrated has Smith on its cover this week to discuss the movie.

Is it the first time a celebrity has appeared on the cover of the highly collectable sports magazine?

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Stanford's Christian McCaffrey picked up The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year nod on Tuesday, becoming the first non-Heisman Trophy winner since 2009 to win the award.

But if you want his first football cards? Well, you'll have to do some digging -- because six years ago was the same year he made his debut on cardboard.

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Among the items in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's online gift shop are a series of five mini busts that Buzz couldn't help but be drawn to.

Why? Buzz can't figure out whether they are cool or creepy.

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With the holiday season here, cardboard is probably on the minds of many Buzz readers as they wonder what might await them soon.

Others, like Buzz, might be thinking of Cardboard of Christmas Past -- you know, some of the Santa Claus trading cards we've seen throughout the years. Most of it's trivial and not all that collectable -- but they all stand out in a way compared to our traditional sports cards.

1989 Pro Set Promos #1989
When Dallas-based Pro Set created this card during its first season of making football cards in 1989, it sparked a trend that we saw in not just football cards but other areas in the years that followed. (Boy are there some bad Photoshop jobs there in the 1990s.) For all intents and purposes, though, Buzz would call this one a "Rookie Card." Yes, there were previous non-sports cards -- but this was the one that put cards like this on the minds of the sports-collecting masses after it was mailed out to dealers and selected NFL-related people.

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After a heavy week of releases and some delays this month, this week is a bit lighter -- but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its highlights among the four brands set to arrive.

We have three baseball sets on the schedule and the return of Bowman's Best along with the launch of Topps Strata as a standalone brand. Throw in a USA Baseball set on the schedule and one high-end college brand from Panini America (keep reading) and that's it for the week.

The format for 2015 Bowman's Best will be similar to Finest with two mini-boxes each yielding two autographs (four autos per in every master box). The format for 2015 Topps Strata is all hits -- every box includes one autograph and one Relic and that's it for the acetate-layered cards.

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