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It's an aspiration for some, an expectation for others, but in no way a guarantee of joy: making the NFL playoffs.

Because, as we've seen these last three weeks -- and as we'll see on one side in two more weeks -- the pain of losing is even more pronounced when the postseason comes around. It stings. And it shows.

So with 10 of the season's 11 elimination games finished and only the Super Bowl to be contested, Playbook and the aptly named Tumblr "The Agony of Defeat" now bring you a collection of dramatic photos showing the pain of playoff losses.

Check them out:

Wild-Card Round

Baltimore Ravens 24, Indianapolis Colts 9

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The NFL season is almost over, and yes -- this crop of rookie quarterbacks still is scorching.

But words can say only so much. Numbers, meanwhile, seem to back up the claim that this just might be the best QB class in history.

So, InfographicWorld.com and Playbook dive deep inside the success of the NFL's first-year signal-callers.

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Losing. It hurts. Especially when a trip to the BCS national championship game is on the line.

That's what Kansas State and Oregon found out last weekend, and that -- plus NFL, hoops and more -- is what Playbook and the aptly named Tumblr "The Agony of Defeat" aims to show in this collection of sad sports photos from the past week:

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Andrew Luck pushed his way to two rushing touchdowns and a 27-10 win for his Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. This is how it -- and many other sporting events from the day -- looked:

Playbook's Daily Gallery: Friday, Nov. 9

It's been heating up since preseason, and might have boiled over big-time this weekend: NFL players and coaches are getting pretty fed up with the NFL's replacement officials, who were thrust into action because of the league's lockout of its regular refs.

The players and coaches are showing it -- a lot, and more so than in their usual quibbles with NFL officials. So, we selected 15 images from preseason and the regular season to illustrate the frustration -- and there could have been a lot more.

Check it out:

NFL Replacement Refs: The Outrage

Before the night's football action, one great photo from the early games:

Not that Michael Hopson, aka "Super Fan," gave up on the Indianapolis Colts during their down year of 2011. But with a late win behind rookie Andrew Luck over the Minnesota Vikings, Hopson had plenty to cheer Sunday -- and might have more to scream about in the future.

It was worth every bit of what a preseason touchdown is worth. But Andrew Luck's first scoring toss -- which came on his first in-game pass for the Indianapolis Colts -- still was cause for a celebration we might see a few more times.

Sam Riche/MCT/Getty Images

NFL training camp is about working out the kinks, installing new systems, fighting for jobs, and fans.

Lots and lots of fans.

Fans there to see the new big faces in town. Fans there to taste NFL football, sometimes for the first time. Fans there to simply show their undying -- and sometimes silly -- dedication.

Luckily, photographers have captured all of it. So, without further delay of game ...

Playbook's NFL Training Camp Gallery, Fan Edition

While Peyton Manning's new home is garnering plenty of attention, his old one feels the buzz as well, as the Indianapolis Colts' feverish fan base readies itself for the Andrew Luck era.

And that's something to capture on camera.

So the Colts' Instagram feed (@indianapoliscolts), which came to life in the month after Indy took the Stanford quarterback No. 1 in this year's draft, is bringing to 6,000-plus followers the sights and sounds (the latter in written form) from their outpost in nearby Anderson, Ind.

Some are action shots. Others show fans themselves. One of the most common kinds: Pictures from the team's interview sessions, each accompanied by a quote.

We caught up via email with Colts social media coordinator Andy Stayer -- a central Indiana native, sixth-year Colts employee and lifelong fan -- to talk about this intriguing Instagram feature, and much more:

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Most folks would agree that the 35 NFL players who attended May’s 2012 NFLPA Rookie Premiere have football down to an art form. Their real art forms, though, are every bit as interesting, compelling, revealing and fun to look at.

Andrew Luck the Picasso is no match for Andrew Luck the passer, but his rendition of Lucas Oil Stadium is pretty darn impressive. Robert Griffin III likely won’t draw comparisons to Vincent van Gogh, but he will draw a colorfully poignant tree. And while Brandon Weeden is no Andy Warhol, his use of color is, dare we say, impeccable.

Indeed, you can learn a lot about a player by handing him a blank 2 1/2-by-3 1/2 cardboard canvas and telling him to “sketch something.” That’s essentially what Panini America officials did in late May, and the resulting original sketch cards, as you’ll soon see, are equal parts inspirational, elementary, fascinating and funny.

Below is a selection of the images:

• Read the full post and see the full gallery at Panini America.

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As proposed by Michael Irvin, all NFL rookies this year were required to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, to get a glimpse of football's past -- and what their future might hold.

And, as ESPN's Bob Holtzman reports, the likes of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden were impressed with what they saw from the HOF and VP of player engagement/former NFL player Troy Vincent.

Long before Andrew Luck slipped into his full NFL uniform for the first time a few weeks ago at the 2012 NFLPA Rookie Premiere, he’d already made history with a different jersey -- the one seen above, which he received from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the No. 1 pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL draft at New York City’s fabled Radio City Music Hall.

Luck also donned some history-making headwear that night, too. And the other young first-round superstars selected after Luck -- including the electrifying Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon, Morris Claiborne and 15 others -- followed suit in their suits, clutching their personalized-on-the-spot Nike jerseys for the grip-and-grin photos that will be remembered forever.

In all, 20 first-round selections crossed the stage April 26 and stepped into their NFL careers. Those history-soaked jerseys and hats, however, didn’t accompany them. Instead, they were expedited by NFL officials to Panini America headquarters to begin their own epic journey -- as the centerpiece memorabilia for the 20-card Draft Day Materials insert in the upcoming 2012 Prestige Football set.

• Read the full post at Panini America's website.

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LOS ANGELES -- Simply, there’s no other day on the trading card calendar quite like Saturday at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. It’s a star-studded dress rehearsal with the NFL’s top rookies donning their uniforms for the first time to take pictures, sign autographs and generate the exclusive content that will drive Panini America’s football card season well into next year.

Below is a selection of photos from the event -- all pics courtesy of Panini America.

Click here for Panini America's full roundup of the afternoon.

Robert Griffin III

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The NFL draft has come to an end. Check out 12 great photos from the weekend at Radio City Music Hall, from Mr. Luck to Mr. Irrelevant.

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The NFL draft’s top picks have been made, and that means one thing is one step closer to reality.

Their 2012 Topps rookie cards.

Within seconds of the top two picks being made, Topps released the first preview images of the cards for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. The cards will arrive in packs on Aug. 8.

Luck will be in a Colts uniform on card No. 140 in the set, while Griffin will be in his Redskins threads on card No. 340. In all, there will be 110 rookies found in the 440-card set.

Each 36-pack hobby box will include one autograph or Relic card inside, as well as a selection of insert cards.