By Phil Grech, Special to American News Report

With smartphones and other mobile devices becoming a big part of the game watching experience, the NFL playoffs are giving football fans another chance to watch NFL legends and likely Hall of Fame inductees Ray Lewis, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – as well as the opportunity to own a piece of NFL history.

The NFL announced in November the availability of the Keepr™ Collectible card, a unique piece of NFL memorabilia paying tribute to legends of the NFL in an entirely new, interactive format. Keepr™ Media, the creator of the card, has taken that initiative another step forward by partnering with Enthuse, a mobile app for sports fans, to offer a limited number of collectible cards as a reward for fans that interact with and support their teams during the playoffs.

“We believe this new type of collectible will broaden sports fans’ enjoyment of the NFL,” said Joe Browne, senior advisor to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“With TV, sports and social media becoming more integrated, fans are looking to their phones as a way to engage,” said Josh Jordan of Make Me Social. Jordan’s agency helps companies collaborate on opportunities to deliver enhanced fan and viewing experiences through social media.  “We’re just starting to see what’s possible,” Jordan adds.

The NFL playoffs and Super Bowl are a major source of ad revenue for the TV networks and the largest single opportunity advertisers have to push their message. Pepsi, for example, launched a campaign during the first week of the playoffs asking fans to submit photos of specific “poses” in hopes of being selected for a chance of a lifetime — being included with hundreds of other fans in a video that will kick off the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show on CBS on February 3, 2013.

“We wanted to create something special to honor the legends.” says Tom Matte, a former Pro Bowl running back for the Baltimore Colts and teammate of NFL legend Johnny Unitas. Matte is working with Keepr ™ to make the collectible cards available to fans.

Fans who check-in or submit photos on the Enthuse platform will have the opportunity to redeem points for a Keepr™ Collectible featuring Mike Ditka, Franco Harris, Sonny Jurgensen, Howie Long, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Deion Sanders, Phil Simms, Roger Staubach, or Johnny Unitas.

Enthuse also has rewards such as popchips, autographed apparel and other team gear. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play for Android devices.