Red Zone

Red Zone Rulebook

Table of Contents

Introduction

It is with great regret that I must apologize for our language that does not allow me to adequately use a pronoun that encompasses both sexes. I will use the male pronoun throughout this text as the majority of the football card collecting audience is male. I wish to acknowledge immediately that there are numerous female football fans and the use of the male pronoun is in no way intended to ignore them.

Also, it is assumed that the reader of the Red Zone rules is familiar with the sport of football. Many terms and phrases common to a football vocabulary are used throughout these rules. If you are not familiar with football terminology, you can use our Glossary Of Terms to familiarize yourself.

The Draft

To begin play, the coaches must randomly decide who will have the advantage during the draft. As this is a football game, the best way to achieve this is through the traditional coin toss. Whoever wins the toss may select the first player in the draft or elect to have home field advantage. The coach with home field advantage may also elect to kick or receive in the upcoming game.

The coach who has the first selection may now examine his deck and place his first pick down on the table. In order to draft a player, that player must be in your deck and must not have already been selected by the opposing coach. Once the first coach has made his selection, the second coach is now free to choose his player. Each coach must select one Quarterback, two Running Backs, two Wide Receiver/Tight Ends (Wide Receivers and Tight Ends can be used interchangeably and are in effect synonymous), and two Offensive Linemen on offense. A coach's defensive team consists of two Defensive Linemen, two Linebackers, and two Defensive Backs. Thus, at the end of the draft each coach should have a total of 13 players in front of him.

For example -- Ron and Duncan prepare to play a game. Ron wins the coin toss and elects to be the home team. This means that Duncan now has the luxury of first pick in the draft. Duncan drafts Steve Young as his Quarterback. Since Duncan chose a Quarterback, Ron knows he can choose any other Quarterback and therefore decides to select another position. Ron decides to choose his favorite Running Back, Barry Sanders. The draft continues in this fashion until all thirteen positions are filled.

Tight Ends and Wide Receivers

Tight Ends and Wide Receivers are used interchangably throughout these rules. However, there is one critical difference between the two. On any running play directed to a side that has a Tight End, that running play gains an extra yard. Thus, a 3 yard gain is converted into a 4 yard gain. A 2 yard loss is only a 1 yard loss. The presence of a Tight End does not effect passing plays in any way.

Team Play

If both coaches prefer, an alternative way to play Red Zone is simply to select which teams each coach would like. Again, randomly determine who has the advantage and that coach may either select which team he would like to play or select home field advantage (thus, getting the choice of kicking or receiving in the upcoming game).

After selecting your team, go through your deck and pull out all the players on that particular team (e.g., if you have selected the San Diego Chargers, examine your deck and set aside all the Charger cards you have). Once you have done this, select any players you like from that pool of players. The only limitations are that you must still select an appropriate team (e.g., one Quarterback, two Running Backs, two Wideouts, two Offensive Linemen, two Defensive Linemen, two Linebackers, and two Defensive Backs) and you must have the players in your deck to select them. Thus, it may not be possible to use team play with a starter deck as you might not have enough of the players from your favorite team. Don't worry though, NXT Games and Donruss have them all and you should have no problems collecting your favorite team.

After selecting your team, either through the draft or team play, take all the unused cards and shuffle your deck several times to insure they are sufficiently randomized. You are now ready to start playing Red Zone.

Setting up to Play

Now that you have drafted your team, the offensive players should be placed on the coach's right hand side and the defensive players on his left hand side. The offensive players should have the Quarterback in the middle and then a single Offensive Lineman, Running Back, and Wideout to either side, in that order.

The defensive players are set up opposite their offensive counter part. Defensive Linemen set up opposite Offensive Linemen, Linebackers oppose Running Backs, and Defensive Backs cover the Wideouts. Between each play the coaches will have the opportunity to switch the locations of their players and even double team certain offensive players. This will be discussed later.

After shuffling, place the remainder of your cards down on the table in front of you and have the opposing coach, cut your deck. Each coach must then count out a number of cards based on the length of the game desired. For a short game count out forty cards in your deck. Fifty cards are used for a medium game, and sixty cards for a long game. This deck of cards is referred to as your "Time Deck." A coach's remaining cards should be placed to the side and those cards are referred to as the "Draw Deck." There is no limit to the number of cards that can be in this deck but 30 or more is optimum. The Draw Deck is used only during time-outs, change of possession, through the use of certain special plays, and between quarters.

After all the players have been drafted, placed on the table, and the decks arranged, both coaches may draw six cards from their Draw Deck and are now ready for the Kickoff.

Starting Play

At the start of each new play you may draw one card into your hand. Thus, for each new play, each coach should have seven cards in his hand. There may be occasions when during a single play you have played more than one card. If that is the case, at the start of the next play, you may draw that number of cards that will take you to seven for the next play.

No Plays

In the unlikely event that a coach should find that he has no plays in his hand after drawing, a "Delay Of Game" penalty is called against him. He must discard his entire hand, draw seven new cards from his Draw Deck, and lose five yards for the penalty.

The Kickoff

The team that is kicking (this having been decided in the draft) now flips the top card in his Time Deck and consults the K/KR section of that card. The number to the left is the distance the kick has gone. Since NFL kicks start from the 30, count out where the ball ends up and that is where the receiving team may elect to return. If there is an EZ in the area under "K" where normally there would be a number that means that the kick went beyond the End Zone and the receiving team starts first and ten from the twenty yard line.

The receiving team then flips the top card in their Time Deck to determine how far they have returned the ball. Again the K/KR section is consulted except the receiving team consults the number to the right. This number determines how far the kick return went. The result of the interaction of these two cards is where the receiving team starts play, 1st and ten.

For example -- Duncan's team is kicking off (because Ron picked second he chose to Receive). Duncan flips the top card in his Time Deck and consults the Kicking/Kick Return (K/KR) section of that card. The number to the left is 67. The kick starts at the 30 and goes 67 yards (crossing the fifty with 47 yards to go, you must then count down 50 - 47 = 3) to the 3 yard line and that is where the ball is received. It is now Ron's team's turn to determine how far they are able to return the kick. The receiving team now flips the top card in their Time Deck and consults the K/KR section. The number on the right says 24. The kick return then takes the ball 24 yards to the 27 yard line 3 + 24 = 27 where the receiving team starts 1st and 10.

Calling Plays

Throughout the rules, there will be references to run offenses & defenses and passing offenses & defenses.

A running play, run offense, or offensive run will consist of the following offensive plays: Quarterback Keep , Fullback Dive , Off Tackle , Trap , Sweep , Counter , Draw , and Reverse .

A passing play, pass offense, or offensive pass will consist of the following offensive plays: Quick Out, Sideline Route, Down & In, Screen, Hook, Play Action, Long Bomb, and Trick Pass.

A run defense consists of: Goalline, 4-4 , 4-3 , and Stunt.

A pass defense consists of: 3-4 , 4-2-5 , Prevent , and Blitz .

Important Note: All Passing Plays on the Play Results Chart have a number in parenthesis following the name of the play. This is the Passing Play Number and it will be used in several instances later in the rules.

In order to call a play, take the Red Zone charts and place them in such a manner that both coaches can see the results.

The offensive coach selects a play from his hand of seven cards. He places this card face down on the table. One of the 16 offensive plays is written in the upper left hand corner of your card. You will also note that each play has a player position listed in parenthesis. That is the player the ball will be given to during the play. The letters inside the parenthesis indicate which side of the field the ball is going to (L = left and R = right) and then which player is getting the ball ( RB = running back and WR = wide receiver ). After placing his card face down on the table the offensive manager may reposition his players in any manner he wishes as long as when he is finished there is one offensive lineman, one running back, and one wide receiver in order, on either side of the quarterback.

After the offensive coach has positioned his players and selected the play and player he is using. The defensive coach now selects his defensive play and places it face down on the table. The defensive coach may now react to any moves made by the offensive coach. If he wants a different match-up or perhaps wishes to double team a certain player, he may do so now (please see the rules on double-teaming to learn how to do this and the game effects).

Now that all the plays, players, and match-ups have been selected, both coaches now reveal their plays and determine how well they have run the play. Each coach flips the top card in his Time Deck, places it next to his play and consults the lower left hand corner of the card. This is called an Execution Color Check and will tell a coach how well his players ran that play. There the coach will see a series of letters and colors:

OR OP RD PD

OR = Offensive Run
OP = Offensive Pass
RD = Run Defense
PD = Pass Defense
Green = Favorable to the Offense
Yellow = No advantage to either side
Red = Favorable to the Defense

The coach examines the type of play he ran and the color of those letters. This will determine how well the coach's team ran that play.

For example -- Ron has selected a "Sweep (RRB)." This card indicates that he has called a Sweep play to his Running Back on the right hand side. Duncan has selected a "4-3" defense. After revealing their plays, Ron flips the top card in his Time Deck and places it next to the play he called. Examining the color of the letters "OR" (Offensive Run) Ron sees that they are green (green favors the offense). Duncan flips his card and finds that the letters "RD" (Run Defense) are yellow (no advantage). Now that Ron and Duncan know their plays and how well they were executed, they consult the Red Zone charts. Cross referencing the offensive and defensive plays Ron and Duncan see that a Sweep, Green matched against a 4-3 , Yellow defense has resulted in a 3 yard gain for Ron's team.

Red Zone Charts

Source gap: The Play Results Chart (the grid that cross-references offensive plays and defensive plays by execution color) is not in the captured source text and is not reproduced here. The results below are the result codes as the rules define them.

In most cases, when two plays and their respective colors are cross referenced, the result will be a number. This number is the number of yards gained or lost by the offensive team.

Some results are letters or a combination of letters. Typically the letters refer to a single player. This means that that player's skills are called into question to determine the result of the play. See the section on Skill Checks below.

For all running plays the following results exist:

# = the number of yards gained or lost.
DL = Check play side Defensive Lineman's Tackle skill.
LB = Check play side Linebacker's Tackle skill.
OL = Check play side Offensive Lineman's Block skill.
RB = Check play side Running Back's Run skill.
WR = Check play side Wide Receiver's Run skill.
F = Fumble (see Fumble rules).
Long = Long run (see Long Gain rules).

For all passing plays the following results exist:

# = the number of yards gained or lost.
Inc. = Incomplete pass.
INT = Intercepted (see Interception rules).
DL = Sack! Check play side Defensive Lineman's Tackle skill.
DL* = Possible Sack otherwise Incomplete (see below).
LB* = Possible Sack otherwise Incomplete (see below).
DB = If the pass play is to the WR, check the DBs Cover skill.
DB = If the pass play is to the RB, check the LBs Cover skill.
DB* = DB achieves a sack. Check DB Tackle skill.
RB = Check play side Running Back's Catch skill.
WR = Check play side Wide Receiver's Catch skill.
QB = Check Quarterback's Pass skill.
Long = Long pass (see Long Gain rules).

Source note: in the printed chart text the "DB" label is missing from the second pass-to-RB line (it reads only "= If the pass play is to the RB, check the LBs Cover skill."). The label is restored here as "DB" to match the Cover rules below, which state that a DB result on a pass to a Running Back is checked against the Linebacker.

Double Teaming

Prior to each team revealing their play, the defensive coach may adjust his defensive players in an effort to double team certain players. Defensive Linemen may double team Offensive Linemen, Linebackers may double team Running Backs, and Defensive Backs may double team Wide Receivers.

To do this, simply pick up the two defensive players and place them next to the player you wish to double team. If the offense calls a play to the double teamed player, then during the Execution Color Check the color of the defensive play is increased by one grade. A green goes to a yellow and a yellow to a red. If the defense already has a red, then lower the offense's color grade by one grade (e.g., green to yellow and yellow to red).

If the offense calls the play to a player that was ignored then the opposite occurs. The color grade of the defense is lowered by one grade (red to yellow and yellow to green). If the defense is already at green, then advance the offense's color grade by one (red to yellow and yellow to green).

You may also move both of your Defensive Linemen to oppose a single Offensive Lineman. In this latter case the Defensive Lineman are considered to be keying in on the Running Back on that side and are anticipating a running play. If a running play is called to the side of the double teamed Offensive Linemen, then the offense is reduced one color grade during the Execution Color Check. Conversely, if the offense chooses a running play with a Running Back that does not have a Defensive Lineman on his side, the offensive Execution Color Check is advanced one grade. These grade reductions or gains are only applied if the defense has moved Defensive Lineman and a running play is called. If the offense calls a pass play to a Running Back being double-teamed by Defensive Linemen only, then there is no change in the Execution Color Check.

For example -- Prior to Ron revealing his Down & In play, Duncan decides to double team Ron's Wide Receiver. To do this he moves both his Defensive Backs and places them next to a Wide Receiver. Both Ron and Duncan reveal their plays. Duncan plays a 4-3 defense. The Execution Color Check results in Down & In, Green matched against a 4-3, Yellow defense and yields a result of 10 yards gained.

Now, if Duncan had double teamed the WR that the pass play had been called towards, the defense would gain one color grade. Ron's Green Down & In would change to a Yellow, Down & In resulting in an 8 yard gain. If the pass play had been called to the WR who was not double teamed, the offense would have gained a color and the play would have generated a QB result.

Skill Check

Skill checks are only made when the play result chart or a special card tell you to make one. In order to make a skill check, first you must determine which player to make a skill check on. The Red Zone charts usually list a position and from the explanations above we use the phrase "play side." This refers to the original direction of the play as called by the offense. If the play was called to the right then the player in question on the right side of the table (relative to the offense) is the player whose skill is examined.

For example -- If Duncan called a Down & In (RWR) to the Wide Receiver on the right hand side and because of the Execution Color Check the result called for a "DL," then the Defensive Lineman in question would be the Defensive Lineman on the right hand side, relative to the offense (or the left hand side relative to the defense). In this case Ron has placed Leslie O'Neal to cover that position. Flipping again Ron looks at his card and sees that there is a red result in the "Player" field. Checking Leslie O'Neal's Tackle skill, Ron sees that a red result equals -5 yards, a five yard loss for Duncan!

Offensive Skills

Throw

This is a rating for Quarterbacks. If you look at the charts, you will see that in certain pass defense situations, if the offense and the defense gets a green result, a QB check is necessary. Throw is a combination of completion percentage and how well that Quarterback performed in the clutch. To make a QB check the player will flip a card and examine the color of the player section. The coach would then examine the result on his Quarterback card in the Throw area. The following results may be listed for the Throw skill:

Complete: Complete means that the Quarterback successfully got the pass off and the offensive coach now makes a Catch check (see below).

Run: The Quarterback is forced to scramble. The owning player makes another skill check using the Quarterbacks Run skill. This will determine how many yards were gained or lost during the play.

Incomplete: Incomplete means the intended pass failed.

Intercepted: When an Interception occurs, check the rules on interceptions to determine the results.

Catch

Similar to throw, this is a rating for a WR, TE, and/or RBs. These ratings are based on how many catches the player had, his average per catch, longest reception, and how many TDs the player had. The receiver will have the following results:

Incomplete : Incomplete means the intended pass failed.

Intercepted: When an Interception occurs, check the rules on interceptions to determine the results.

TD: TD indicates that the player has broken free and scored no matter what yard line the offense is on.

Long: Long is a breakaway gain and the normal rules on Long Gains are applied.

# of yards: A # means that the receiver successfully caught the pass for the number of the yards indicated.

Run

The Run rating is based on how many yards the player got per carry, the number of touchdowns, the longest run, and the number of fumbles. The ratings will be:

TD: TD indicates that the player has broken free and scored no matter what yard line the offense is on.

Long: Long is a breakaway gain and the normal rules on Long Gains are applied.

# of yards: A # means that the runner successfully ran the ball for the number of the yards indicated.

Fumble: A Fumble is carried out in the manner of all fumbles (see below).

Block

This rating is based on the Offensive Lineman's skill in blocking for a runner.

# of yards: A # means that the runner successfully ran the ball for the number of the yards indicated.

Fumble: A Fumble is carried out in the manner of all fumbles (see below).

Defensive Skills

Tackle

Tackle will determine how many yards this defensive player gave up before he made the tackle.

# of yards: A # means that the runner successfully ran the ball for the number of the yards indicated. A negative indicates a lose of yardage.

Fumble: A Fumble is carried out in the manner of all fumbles (see below).

*Tackle

In certain pass situations, one of the possible results is DL*, LB*, or DB*. This indicates that there may be a possible sack of the quarterback during the pass attempt. To determine if the sack has occurred, check the appropriate play side defender (i.e., check the play side LB if an LB* result is obtained and check the play side DL if a DL* is obtained). If the play side defender has an "" in his Tackle area, it indicates that he is an exceptional pass rusher. In this case, make a standard tackle check and the QB is forced to scramble for the yards indicated in the Tackle skill check. If the play side defender does not have an "", then the pass simply falls incomplete. All DBs are considered to have an * has the only time the DB* result occurs is during a Blitz .

Cover

When the offense makes a pass and there is a DB result it means the play side defender's Cover skill must be checked. Note that in some instances a DB result may indicate that you examine a LB's pass defense. This would be the case if the offense threw a pass to a running back. Even though the chart says DB, make a check using the defending LB. Make a color check and the results will involve the following:

Intercepted: When an Interception occurs, check the rules on interceptions to determine the results.

Incomplete: Incomplete means the intended pass failed.

Complete : Yards gained listed as C-1P (the Passing Play number is the gain in yards), C-2P (twice the Passing Play Number is the gain in yards), or WR (You got burnt! Skill check the covered Wide Receiver to determine gain in yards).

Long Gains

Certain results on the Red Zone charts call for a Long Gain . Whenever a long gain is called for, have the owning coach flip the top card on his Time Deck and examine the number under "LG." The number listed is the number of yards gained by the player in question. Certain results simply read "TD," indicating the player has scored no matter where the offense was on the field.

If the Long Gain is obtained as a result of a running play. Use the normal Long Gain number. However, if the Long Gain is obtained from a passing play, add 10 yards to the result.

For example -- Late in the game Duncan plays a Play Action Pass and obtains a green result. Ron plays a 4-4 defense and obtains a green result. After cross referencing the plays on the Play Results Chart they discover that the result is a Long Gain. Duncan flips the top card of his Time Deck and sees that under Long Gain is the number 24! Duncan gets a 34 yard gain (24 + 10 = 34, with the additional 10 yards due to the fact that it was a passing play.).

Injuries

When a player is making a skill check, the top card is flipped and the color is checked in the Player section. Certain results read "Injury." If this result is gained, finish the play by using the yellow result of the player's appropriate skill. After the play is resolved the player is removed from the table and may not return. The owning coach must select a new player from his discard pile . If no player is available in his discard pile he may then flip the top card in his Draw Deck until an appropriate player is revealed (i.e., a player who is eligible to play the injured players position). If the player still cannot find an eligible player he may play a card from his hand.

If during the course of normal play, an eligible player is drawn from the Time Deck, he may be put into play immediately. While a position is vacant, any plays directed at the position by the opposing coach will increase one color grade. All plays directed at the position by the owning coach will decrease one color grade. You may call a play for a vacant position. It will simply lose one color grade (there is still someone there, he is simply not very good).

If the coaches have chosen the team play option, injuries are handled in a much simpler fashion. The coach of the player injured may choose any player of the same position from the team he has selected as a substitute. He must again choose this player from his discard pile, his Draw Deck, and his hand in that order. If no player is available from the team he has chosen or he does not have the appropriate card, substitutions are made as described above. In either case, the substitute may not be a player previously selected by either team.

For example -- Ron plays a Hook and obtains a green result on the Execution Color Check. Duncan plays a Goalline defense and on the flip he also obtains a Green result. Cross referencing the plays on the Play Results Chart yields a WR result. Ron makes a skill check on his WR to discover his gain in yardage. Disaster strikes! In the Player portion of the card, Ron sees that there is an injury. His WR is out for the game! He then searches both his discard pile, his Draw Deck and his hand and finds no other WR to use. Quickly realizing he needs to place more WRs in his deck before the next game starts, he is forced to play without one of his two WR until he draws one from his Time Deck.

If his non-injured WR is on the right hand side, he may still call plays to the LWR and simply lose one color grade by doing so. However, since Duncan is likely to double team Rons healthy WR, Ron will be able to survive until he gets a new WR.

Penalties

During the Execution Color Check, several cards do not have any colors. Instead, they have the words "Penalty -'x' yards." In this case, stop the play and apply the penalty and yardage to that team. In certain rare instances, both teams will reveal a penalty. If the penalties are of equal value then they cancel each other and each coach must select a new play. If one team's penalty calls for more yardage than the other team's, the team with the higher penalty takes priority. Ignore the lesser penalty and apply the higher one.

A special type of penalty is called a FADD which stands for Flip Again (from the) Draw Deck. Look at the number under FADD. If you are on the offense, the number is subtracted from your yardage gained. If you are on the defense, the number is added to the offensive yardage gained. When a flip results in a FADD, flip again to determine the color of the play. You must keep flipping until a color result is achieved ignoring all other results. A FADD only reduces the yardage gained from the play, it does not count as a penalty and does not reset the down. If a result is obtained that does not involve yardage (e.g., an incomplete pass), then ignore the x yard penalty.

For example -- Duncan plays a Draw and Ron plays a 4-2-5 defense. On the Execution Color Check, Ron flips a red result and Duncan flips and sees a Penalty -5 yards. The plays are ignored, Duncan loses five yards and the Down is played over. In the above example had Ron flipped a Penalty-5 yards also, then the penalties would have been off setting with no change in yardage and the down would be played over.

For example -- From our example above, lets assume instead that Duncan flipped and obtained a FADD + 3. Duncan would then Flip Again from his Draw Deck until he obtained a color (ignoring any penalties). Since Duncan is on offense, whatever result he obtains, he must subtract 3 yards from the result.

Interceptions

When the Red Zone charts or a DBs skill check calls for an Interception the ball is turned over to the defensive team. To determine where the interception takes place, examine the Red Zone charts and count the number of the passing play. Take this number and multiply it by three. Thus, a Screen is the first play listed, so it is given a 1 and an interception of a Screen pass occurs three yards down field. A Long Bomb is the eighth passing play listed and an interception of a Long Bomb would occur 24 yards (i.e., 8 x 3 = 24) down field.

The defensive coach has the option of downing the ball right there and taking over on offense, first and ten. However, if he chooses to attempt a return, he flips the top card in his Time Deck and looks at the PR section (e.g., a Punt Return result). This number is the distance the player who intercepted the ball returns it before being tackled.

If an interception occurs in the End Zone then the defense has the option of returning it or taking it as a touchback and starting 1st and 10 at the 20. If after determining the yardage, the interception took place past the end line of the End Zone, a team would not have the choice of returning the ball and must take the ball 1st and 10 at the 20. If a team does return it from the End Zone and fails to get it out of the End Zone it results in a safety and 2 points for the defense.

For example -- Duncan's team is on the 4 yard line. He throws a Down & In route and it is intercepted. The Down & In play is the 5th passing play so the interception occurs 15 yards down field. This would be one yard past the end line of the End Zone. In this case Ron's' team would not have a choice of returning and must take the ball 1st and 10 at the 20. Now let's say the team started at the 6 yard line instead and threw an interception on a Down & In pass 15 yards down field. Ron bravely decides to return the interception from 9 yards inside the End Zone and gets a 5 yard return. In this case, the team that threw the interception at least managed to get a safety out of the play.

Fumbles

When a Fumble result occurs the ball is loose on the field and it must be determined where the ball is and which team recovered it.

To determine where the ball is, flip the top card of the offensive coach's deck. Look under the Long Gain section and only use the singles digit. Thus, if the result was a 32 yard long gain result, the way that is interpreted for fumble purposes is that the fumble occurred two yards down field.

To determine who recovers the fumble, have the offensive coach pick one of the results at the bottom of a player card (e.g., K, KR, P, PR, Long, or FG), then the defensive coach selects odd or even. Have the offensive coach flip the top card in his deck. If the defensive coach has correctly guessed whether that number was odd or even, the defense recovers the fumble. If not the offense retains possession.

Certain Special Play cards allow recovery of the football. If both coaches possess cards that recover a fumble the cards cancel each other and recovery is determined as described above.

For example -- Duncan plays a Quarterback Keep against Ron's Goalline defense . Duncan flips and gets a red result. Ron's result is also red. Checking the Play Results Chart they find that a Fumble has occurred. Duncan flips and finds that under the Long Gain section of the card is the number 42. In 42, the number "2" is in the singles column so the fumble occurred 2 yards down field. Duncan then selects the K field as his statistic of choice and Ron announces that he is choosing odd. Duncan flips and looks at the K field, finding the number 33. Since it is an odd number and Ron guessed odd, Ron recovers the ball!

Punts

Punts are conducted in the same manner as Kickoffs except the P/PR section is utilized instead of the K/KR. The punting coach flips the top card in his Time Deck and examines the number on the left of the P/PR section. The punt distance is measured from the line of scrimmage .

The coach receiving the ball has the option of taking a fair catch or attempting to return the ball. If he returns the punt, he flips the top card of his Time Deck and looks at the number on the right of the P/PR.

Coffin Corner Punts - In certain instances, the punting team may want to attempt to pin the return team inside the twenty yard line. However, if they used the full distance of the punt it would sail into the End Zone. To represent this, the offensive team may prior to flipping the card announce that it will attempt a Coffin Corner Kick . The punting coach selects a distance from 5 - 25 yards and subtracts it from the upcoming punt. The card is flipped and the P section is consulted. Subtract the announced yardage and the ball goes out of bounds at that spot.

Punting after a Safety - If a team has given up a safety, they have the option of kicking or punting from the twenty yard line. They may select either option with the following modification: add 15 yards to a punt attempt. The reason for this is that the punt ratings are based from the line of scrimmage rather than 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage where the punt usually occurs. In addition, the punter is not forced to rush his punt attempt. The return is based on which type of kick the kicking team chooses to employ. If the kicking team kicked off use the Kick Return numbers. If the kicking team Punted, use the Punt Return numbers.

For example -- It's Fourth Down and after an ineffective drive Ron is forced to Punt the ball. Ron's team is on their own 30 yard line so the ball starts there. Ron flips and finds that under P there is the number 40, a 40 yard Punt. Duncan then flips and under PR he sees 55, a 55 yard Punt Return. The ball has been returned to Ron's 15 yard line, Duncan is in the Red Zone.

Field Goals and Extra Points

Field goals may be attempted any time the offensive coach wishes. To conduct a field goal , simply determine the line of scrimmage and add 17 yards. This is where the kick takes place (this takes into account the ten yards of the End Zone and the 7 yards behind the center where the ball is placed for the kick).

Have the offensive coach flip the top card in his Time Deck and look at the FG section. If the number there equals or exceeds the kick distance the field goal is successful. If the number is less than the necessary distance the defense takes over possession at the point of the kick (e.g., 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage).

Extra Points

After a Touchdown, have the offensive coach flip the top card in his Time Deck and the extra point is good unless a "55*" result is revealed. A "55*" means the extra point was missed.

Two Point Conversion

After a touchdown, the offensive coach has the choice of going for two points by running a play from the three yard line. If the offense gains three yards or more, they score two points instead of one.

For example -- Ron has managed to hold Duncan at the 10 yard line. Duncan decides that his only chance at scoring is a field goal attempt. he starts at the 10 yard line and adds 17 which comes out to 27 yards. This is the number Duncan has to equal or Exceed to score. Duncan flips and looks at the FG result, 30 yards and 3 points for Duncan

Blocks

During a punt or a field goal attempt, the card may read that the kick has been blocked. In this case, the block is resolved in the same manner as a fumble except that the ball is recovered behind the line of scrimmage.

Onside Kicks

If the kicking team wishes to attempt an onside kick it is conducted in the following manner. First determine how far the kick went, the procedure for this is done in the same manner as for a fumble except ten yards is added to the result. Thus, a Long Gain number is determined and only the singles digit is used. To this number add ten yards. You should end up with a number between 10 and 19. Thus the ball is recovered 10 to 19 yards from the point of kickoff.

To determine which team recovers it, have each coach flip the top card in his Time Deck. The receiving team looks at the number for a kickoff. The team attempting the onside kick looks at the number associated with a punt. The higher number recovers the ball. If the numbers are tied, conduct the check again until one side has a higher number.

Although this may seem unfair, the majority of onside kicks are recovered by the receiving team.

For example -- Ron's team is playing with a replacement Quarterback and he's down on points. Time is running out and he needs to score. Ron decides to try an Onside kick. Duncan flips and checks the Long Gain section noting that it shows the number 57. Taking the singles column of 7 and adding 10 he sees that the ball is kicked for 17 yards. Now Duncan flips and looks at the number under K(kick), a 52. Ron flips and looks at the number under P(punt), a 60. Since Ron's number is higher than Duncan's, Ron recovers the ball!

Special Play Cards

Certain rare cards are called Special Play cards and are utilized differently then the standard play cards. The Special Play cards do not have any plays written on them but rather a variety of unique game effects and results. In most situations, the rules for the use of the special play are written on the card. If a card text is contrary to the rules described above, the card takes priority. If a coach plays a Special Play card during or after a play, on the next play, he may draw a number of cards from his Time Deck such that he again has seven cards to choose from in the upcoming play.

Time

Red Zone uses an abstract timing system to determine the length of the game. After shuffling your decks, count out the top 40 (short), 50 (medium) or 60 (long) cards. The quarter continues each coach runs out of cards in his Time Deck. Thus, if one coach has reached the end of the quarter but the opposing coach has not, then the quarter still continues until the second coach runs out of cards.

If a play is started when the second coach reaches the end of his Time Deck, the play may be finished, but it will be the last play of the quarter. A play is started when a coach draws a card from his Time Deck.

A coach who has reached the end of his Time Deck must use his Draw Deck to complete the quarter.

If a time-out is called during a quarter, add 5 cards to both coaches Time Deck. Each coach has three time-outs per half. If one coach has reached the end of his Time Deck, he does not add any cards to his Time Deck. Once a is out of cards in his Time Deck, new cards cannot be added to his Time Deck. He may still use his Draw Deck to complete the quarter until the other coach reaches the end of his Time Deck.

At the end of a quarter, at the start of each new possession, and/or during any time-out, a coach may discard any number of cards from his hand and draw a number of new cards such that he has seven cards for the next play. If this is done at the end of the quarter, it is done before counting out a new 50 cards for time keeping purposes. If it is done during a time-out or during a change of possession, the coach draws these cards from his Draw Deck.

For example -- Duncan's' team is leading Ron's' by 4 points but Ron is driving. There are only 3 cards left in Ron's' Time Deck and only 1 card left in Duncan's' Time Deck. Each coach draws a card and now Duncan exhausted his Time Deck. Because Ron has not reached the end of his Time Deck, Duncan uses his Draw Deck for the Execution Color Check. Ron uses another card from his Time Deck for the Execution Color Check.

At the end of the play, Ron calls a time-out and adds five cards to his Time Deck. Since Duncan has reached the end of his Time Deck, he does not add any cards to his Time Deck.

Ron goes on to use all of his time-outs and eventually scores leaving him with no time-outs, a 3 point lead, and 4 cards in his Time Deck. Now Duncan must try and score. Ron kicks off by flipping a card from his Time Deck and Duncan returns it by using a card from his Draw Deck. Duncan calls a play and Ron uses two more cards from his Time Deck (one for drawing a card for a new play and another for the Execution Color Check). Duncan then calls a time-out and Ron is forced to add five more cards to his Time Deck. Because Duncan has two more time-outs, he can force Ron to add ten more cards before the quarter will actually end.

Duncan goes on to kick a FG and tie the score. Neither Duncan nor Ron has any additional time-outs or means of adding to a Time Deck so therefore the game ends and they go to a Sudden Death overtime quarter.

How To Win

The game continues until four quarters have been played. At the end of the fourth quarter the team with the highest score wins. If the scores are tied then play goes into sudden death over-time. Another quarter must be played, the first team to score wins. If neither team scores, continue to play quarters until one team scores.

Optional Rules

From the publisher's optional rules checklist ("Red Zone's Official Check List", NXT Games). These rules must be agreed to on a case by case basis by both coaches prior to play.

Declining Penalties

Often times a player may make a great offensive or defensive call (e.g., a Long Bomb against your opponent's Goaline) only to have the play wiped out because one of you got a penalty. With this Optional Rule, players are now able to decline penalties.

If a player receives a penalty during a play, play is continued from the Draw Deck. The coach who flipped and got a penalty now flips again from their Draw Deck until a color is revealed. Ignore further penalties and/or FADDs. Once a color is drawn, both players can determine the yardage the play received.

The coach who did not receive the penalty may then choose to take the down and the yardage gained (thus declining the penalty) OR accept the penalty and not lose the down.

For example -- Ron and Duncan have a 1st and 10 at the 20 yard line. Duncan plays a Long Bomb and Ron called a Goalline. However, when the two players are making an Execution color check, Ron flipped a 5 yard penalty. Normally the play is dead and Duncan now has a 1st and 5 from the 25.

However, prior to the game, both managers agreed to use the optional rule of Declining Penalties. Thus, Ron must now flip another card from his Draw Deck until he gets a color. Duncan had obtained a yellow and now from the Draw Deck, Ron has a yellow as well.

Since Ron committed the penalty, Duncan can either choose the yardage from the chart: (Long Bomb -- Yellow vs. a Goalline --Yellow) a 19 yard gain OR he may accept the penalty and take the 1st and 5 from the 25. In this case, Duncan declines the penalty and starts 1st and 10 from the 39.

No Long Bombs in the End Zone

This rule was sent in by the Red Zone League in San Diego, CA at Game Empire.

In real football, once a team enters the red zone, pass receivers have to modify their routes because of the limited field. Defenders have a big advantage because they do not have to cover as much ground. To represent this, once an offensive team has entered the red zone, and a pass play reveals a yardage gain from the chart that would go past the back of the end zone, the play is considered an incomplete pass. This special 'INC' is only used if the chart reveals a number longer than the field. If an Individual Skill Check or a Long Gain takes a player past the end zone, it is still a touchdown (the defender was beaten so badly it didn't matter where they were on the field).

For example -- Ron is driving on Duncan and is now at the 6 yard line. Ron calls a Trick Pass and Duncan calls a Goalline. Ron obtains a yellow OP, and Duncan also reveals a yellow RD. This results in a 16 yard gain. This is still a TD because it gains the 6 yards to the goalline but is still with the extra 10 yards of the endzone. If colors had been an OP green and a RD yellow, that would have resulted in a 18 yard gain that would have gone past the back of the endzone (e.g., the ball would have been 2 yards past the back line).

If Ron had obtained a Long Gain or a WR (Wide Receiver Skill Check) it would not have mattered how many yards he gained because any result of 6 or more yards would have been a touchdown regardless of the total gain.

HARSH VERSION -- In addition to the above modifications, some people have even eliminated a Wide Receiver's (WR's) ability to catch a pass in the back of the endzone. Thus, the only time a player may catch a pass past the back of the endzone is on a Long Gain. In the above example, say Anthony Miller made an Individual Skill Check and received a 19 yard gain from the 6. This would then become INC if you played with this rule.

HARSHEST VERSION -- Eliminate even a Wide Receiver's (WR's) ability to catch a pass past the back of the endzone with a Long Gain. Again these rules only apply when a team starts a play inside the Red Zone.

Coffin Corner Kicks

To begin with there is some confusion regarding the coffin corner kick. It may only be used when you are the scoring half of the field (i.e., your team needs 50 yards or less to score). This prevents unscrupulous players from always kicking the ball out of bounds. One of our players e-mailed us the following suggestion regarding the Coffin Corner Kick.

After a Coffin Corner punt, flip a second card from your Draw Deck, if the player section:

Yellow, add five yards to the punt, but there is a runback;
Red, the punt is out of bounds, no return;
Green, the punt is the stated yardage and there is a runback.

The modifications to the yardage above are in addition to whatever the kicking coach selected to subtract from the kick. We use this rule because no punter accurate enough to always kick the ball out of bounds.

Limiting the Tight End (TE)

This has been probably the greatest source of e-mail questions. People are having a tough time stopping the +1 yard to the TE side. Some players have sent us their deck design of a 70-30 "Wishbone Deck" running attack from a double TE set. Yikes! You should still be able to stop this by designing a run defense deck or gearing up your own running game to match your opponent's deck.

If player's prefer, here are some other options to negate the TE advantage.

(1) TE only gets a +1 to runs to the outside.

The second set of four running plays (Off Tackle, Sweep, Counter, and Reverse) are the plays to the outside. The TE would only be able to add his + 1 to running plays directed to the outside. Thus, only the Off Tackle, Sweep, and Counter would have the +1 (Reverses can't be run to the TE and even if they could, he can't block for himself!).

(2) Linebacker (LB) may be played opposite a TE to neutralize the +1 (see below).

(3) Defensive Linemen (DL) may shift over and cover the TE with the aid of a Defensive Back (DB)/Linebacker (LB). This would not only eliminate the TE's +1, it would give the defense the opposite modifier of -1 to any of the outside running plays to that side. However, when a DL shifts to the outside like that, running plays up the middle on the side of DL shift would now gain the +1.

DB
DB LB DL LB DL
WR RB OL QB OL RB TE

The player's would end up looking like the above in a DL shift to the TE side. To recap, in the above defensive maneuver, outside running plays (Off Tackle, Sweep, and Counter) to the right hand side would be at -1 yard. Inside running plays Quarterback Keep, Fullback Dive, Trap, and Draw) to the right would be at +1 yard. Passing plays to either the Running Back (RB) or the TE on the right would be unaffected.

If a DL and a LB are playing opposite a TE, the modifier remains at -1 yard.

Situational Substitutions

This has become a widely adopted rule. Instead of drafting a 13 man team, Coaches may now draft a 20 man squad (13 starters with a back up at every position). Prior to the start of every play, the offensive coach may bring in players from the bench and substitute. At the end of any substitutions the coach must still have a normal 13 man team (e.g., 1 QB, 2 OL, 2 RB, 2 WR/TE).

However, the composition of your team and their skills may be changed. For example, in a short yardage situation you may want to bring in a TE instead of a WR. Or the opposite, in 3rd and long it would be better to have two WRs available.

After the offense has made any substitutions the defense is then free to substitute. If they need a strong run support DB to blitz they may bring him in now.

After the offense and then the defense has substituted, both coaches select a play. The offense may then go into any motions it wishes (e.g., moving RB from the left to the right). The defense may then adjust any of its on field players (no substitutions may be made. Then the plays are revealed.

Offense may make any substitutions.
Defense may make any substitutions.
Both coaches select a play.
The Offense may move any of its players.
The Defense may move any of its players.
Both coaches reveal their plays.

This would then create a simpler way to handle injuries. If a player is injured, a coach may bring in the drafted back up.

Some leagues have suggested drafting any combinations of 20 players (e.g., not necessarily one back-up at every position). They then agree on a set of common players that are generic substitutes if a player position is injured. For example, a team drafts 20 position players but does not take a back-up QB. Because the league had voted on Trent Dilfer has the generic back-up, Trent Dilfer became the players new QB automatically. It is thus conceivable in this arrangement that the "Trent Dilfer" may be used by two teams because the card is intended not to represent Trent Dilfer but rather the back-up QB.

With this "Situational Substitution" rule in place we can add a number of new rules that are based on Substitutes.

Canceling the Tight End TE

The defensive coach may now bring an extra LB and replace a DB on defense. The extra LB may play opposite the TE and cancels the TE's +1 yardage gain. There is no change to the LB's ability to cover a TE. If a LB ends up covering a WR, the offense gains a one color grade advantage on every pass play directed to that WR. If a LB is on the play side of a running play and is opposed by a WR, then the offense loses one yard from that running play.

Thus, a TE has a +1 yard advantage over a DB.

A LB and a TE cancel each other.

Finally, a LB has a -1 yard advantage over a WR, but the WR has a one color grade advantage on pass plays.

Nickel Package

The defense may bring in a third DB and place him on a RB. This will have the effect of bringing a better pass defender against a RB. However, all running plays directed towards a RB that is opposed by a DB automatically gain + 1 yard.

3 Wide

The offense may bring in a third WR and have only RB. This may result in a WR being covered by a LB in which case the WR will have a one color grade advantage over the LB (see "Canceling the TE" above).

For example's sake, let us assume the extra WR is in the LRB's position. All pass plays directed to the LRB now go to the WR in his position. NOTE: All running plays to the LRB go the RRB but the play side remains unchanged (e.g., the RRB would be running to the left on a Draw (LRB)).