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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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.

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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.

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Ever wondered how a game-used memorabilia card is made? Well, Panini America documented the steps for a Tom Brady Immaculate Collection gem or two in this video released on Monday.

Check it out.

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What: 2015 Panini Black Gold football cards
Arrives: Jan. 20, 2016
Hobby box basics: Five cards per pack (two packs per box, eight boxes per case) with one autograph or autographed memorabilia card, one additional hit or gold disc, one metal logo, one base card and one shadowbox insert in each one.

What's buzz-worthy: Black Gold returns for a sophomore season of high-end acetate- and metal-enhanced fun. This high-end brand will showcase premium memorabilia pieces with, according to the company "even more on-card autograph content" than in its rookie year.

See a gallery and more ... below.

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Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota will have plenty of eyes on him on Sunday when he returns as the starter after suffering an injured knee ligament that had him out of action since Oct. 18. A good game could spark more interest and that might happen if his team's game against the Saints turns into some type of shootout. A bad one could have people starting to wonder about the guy who went No. 2 overall in this year's draft. (We all know QBs get a longer shelf life than other spots, though, right?)

Keep reading for four more guys to watch on Sunday.

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a four-time Super Bowl champ, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, a two-time league MVP and, after the last year, one of the more controversial stars in the NFL.

What he isn't is an easy autograph.

However, TRISTAR announced a private signing with the future Hall of Famer on Tuesday with the date set early enough in December for sports fans to consider adding his ink to their collections and have it arrive just before the holidays.

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The newest wave of Pop! Football figures arrives in December from Funko with one of the NFL's biggest defensive stars sporting one of the littlest iconic details.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt comes with a bloodied and bandaged nose.

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