InQuest 10 - 49 - Donruss: Red Zone Review
Red Zone Card Description
A. Offensive Play: Signifies one of 16 offen-
sive plays and which player the ball goes to.
B. Defensive Formation: Designates one of eight
defensive formations.
C. Skill Checks: The results of passes, runs, and
catches based on the execution color of the card
drawn from the time deck.
D. Team and Position: Rather self-explanatory,
don't ya think?
E. Special Play Indicator: The results of kick-
offs, kick returns, punts, punt returns, field goal
distance, and long gains.
F. Player Section: The color to refer to on skill
checks. Some player sections indicate "Injured," in
which case the player whose skill is being checked
is lost for the game.
G. Execution Color Check: The colors to refer to
and cross-check on plays from scrimmage.
Red Zone does a decent job of rating players, but this is
an area of the game that could be better. A quarterback's
passing skills are based on a combination of that player's
completion percentage and performance in the clutch. The
result is athletes like the Bears' Steve Walsh, who now sits
on the bench, being among the best Red Zone players sim-
ply because he completes a high percentage of passes. Walsh
is not a particularly good quarterback; he completes a high
percentage of passes because the Bears don't allow him to
throw the ball very often or very far down the field. Perhaps
a better statistic to go by would be average yards gained per
pass attempt, which would reflect a QB's ability to get the
ball down the field.
A. Offensive Play: Signifies one of 16 offen-
sive plays and which player the ball goes to.
B. Defensive Formation: Designates one of eight
defensive formations.
C. Skill Checks: The results of passes, runs, and
catches based on the execution color of the card
drawn from the time deck.
D. Team and Position: Rather self-explanatory,
don't ya think?
E. Special Play Indicator: The results of kick-
offs, kick returns, punts, punt returns, field goal
distance, and long gains.
F. Player Section: The color to refer to on skill
checks. Some player sections indicate "Injured," in
which case the player whose skill is being checked
is lost for the game.
G. Execution Color Check: The colors to refer to
and cross-check on plays from scrimmage.
Red Zone does a decent job of rating players, but this is
an area of the game that could be better. A quarterback's
passing skills are based on a combination of that player's
completion percentage and performance in the clutch. The
result is athletes like the Bears' Steve Walsh, who now sits
on the bench, being among the best Red Zone players sim-
ply because he completes a high percentage of passes. Walsh
is not a particularly good quarterback; he completes a high
percentage of passes because the Bears don't allow him to
throw the ball very often or very far down the field. Perhaps
a better statistic to go by would be average yards gained per
pass attempt, which would reflect a QB's ability to get the
ball down the field.
The rating for running backs suffers from the same kind
of problem that plagues quarterbacks. Run-
ning back ratings are based on a player's
average yards per carry, number of
touchdowns, longest run, and num-
ber of fumbles. Again, the result is
stronger ratings for play-
ers who don't carry
the ball too often,
like the Jets'
Richie Anderson
(say what?),
than for a back
like the Bucca-
neers' Errict Rhett,
who ranks among the
league leaders in a number of
relevant categories but is not a great Red Zone player.
But those gripes aside, Red Zone does a pretty solid job
in ranking the players. Dolphin Dan Marino is arguably the
best Red Zone quarterback, which is an accurate reflection
on the NEL. Buccaneer Trent Dilfer, one of the league's most
pathetic bums, is an absolutely atrocious Red Zone quarter-
back, as well he should be.
of problem that plagues quarterbacks. Run-
ning back ratings are based on a player's
average yards per carry, number of
touchdowns, longest run, and num-
ber of fumbles. Again, the result is
stronger ratings for play-
ers who don't carry
the ball too often,
like the Jets'
Richie Anderson
(say what?),
than for a back
like the Bucca-
neers' Errict Rhett,
who ranks among the
league leaders in a number of
relevant categories but is not a great Red Zone player.
But those gripes aside, Red Zone does a pretty solid job
in ranking the players. Dolphin Dan Marino is arguably the
best Red Zone quarterback, which is an accurate reflection
on the NEL. Buccaneer Trent Dilfer, one of the league's most
pathetic bums, is an absolutely atrocious Red Zone quarter-
back, as well he should be.
Another solid attraction of Red Zone is the fact that the
game contains cards of players you won't find in any regu-
lar sports card release. The Jets' Siupeli Malamala, "Gentle"
Ben Coleman of the Cardinals, and the 49ers' Steve Wal-
lace (who has the most ridiculous-looking helmet in NFL
history) can all be found on the faces of Red Zone cards,
allowing fans a rare look at the players for whom they root
their pants off every Sunday. The broad player selection also
allows gamers to form full rosters with the players on their
favorite team. For example, you can match your Pittsburgh
Steelers against InQuest Editor Mike Searle's New York Giants.
Red Zone successfully captures the basics of football and
the talents of the NFL in a collectible card game. Because the
game is easy to learn, people should have little problem
forming leagues and teaching it to their friends. Donruss
and NXT Games deserve a big high five.
- Scott Gramling
The Good, The Bad,
and The Ugly
The Good
Red Zone uses real NFL players and translates their statis-
tics into game playing abilities, and requires basic football
knowledge of offensive play-calling and defensive formations.
game contains cards of players you won't find in any regu-
lar sports card release. The Jets' Siupeli Malamala, "Gentle"
Ben Coleman of the Cardinals, and the 49ers' Steve Wal-
lace (who has the most ridiculous-looking helmet in NFL
history) can all be found on the faces of Red Zone cards,
allowing fans a rare look at the players for whom they root
their pants off every Sunday. The broad player selection also
allows gamers to form full rosters with the players on their
favorite team. For example, you can match your Pittsburgh
Steelers against InQuest Editor Mike Searle's New York Giants.
Red Zone successfully captures the basics of football and
the talents of the NFL in a collectible card game. Because the
game is easy to learn, people should have little problem
forming leagues and teaching it to their friends. Donruss
and NXT Games deserve a big high five.
- Scott Gramling
The Good, The Bad,
and The Ugly
The Good
Red Zone uses real NFL players and translates their statis-
tics into game playing abilities, and requires basic football
knowledge of offensive play-calling and defensive formations.
It's easy to learn and teach to novices.
The game contains cards of players you can't find any-
where else, allowing players to form full rosters of their
favorite teams.
For the most part, the photos are crisp and clear.
The Bad
Player ratings are based on performance statistics that
don't accurately reflect the actual effectiveness of a player.
Very few quality players turn up in the starter decks; they
must be acquired via booster packs.
There are no cards of kickers or punters. Those parts of the
game are based solely on the luck of the draw.
The Ugly
It will be interesting to see how the company handles
updating the rankings of certain players now that the 1995
NFL regular season is over. For example, a player like the
Rams' Isaac Bruce is a mediocre Red Zone player, but had an
absolutely monstrous 1995 season.
The game contains cards of players you can't find any-
where else, allowing players to form full rosters of their
favorite teams.
For the most part, the photos are crisp and clear.
The Bad
Player ratings are based on performance statistics that
don't accurately reflect the actual effectiveness of a player.
Very few quality players turn up in the starter decks; they
must be acquired via booster packs.
There are no cards of kickers or punters. Those parts of the
game are based solely on the luck of the draw.
The Ugly
It will be interesting to see how the company handles
updating the rankings of certain players now that the 1995
NFL regular season is over. For example, a player like the
Rams' Isaac Bruce is a mediocre Red Zone player, but had an
absolutely monstrous 1995 season.
There's no index or table of contents in the rule book.
Those two things make every rule book easier to use, no mat-
ter how well-written it may already be.
- Scott Gramling
