Review: 2008 Donruss Elite Football

Donruss Elite is Donruss' second brand to hit shelves for the 2008 season and the second one celebrating ten years of existence. Part of its longevity can be attributed to popular inserts like Throwback Threads and Passing the Torch, and they return for another go-round alongside three hits per box.

Hobby boxes of 2008 Donruss Elite Football sport twenty five-card packs. Expect at least one autograph per box, regular rookie cards numbered to 999 and signed rookie cards numbered to 299 or less.

Football collectors have come to expect that Elite base cards will feature a foil-based design, and that is once again the case. There's a computer-generated pattern of stripes and boxes that serves as a background, and the player and team info is clear and easy to read.

The base set consists of 100 commons (veterans) and 100 rookie cards, but not all rookies are created equal this season. That's because Elite features actual autographed rookie cards for the first time - 50 in all, with numbering ranging from 199 to 299 copies per player. Most of the big names from the 2008 draft class, including Matt Ryan, Darren McFadden and Chad Henne, are in the autographed tier. Unsigned rookies are numbered to 999.

All of the base cards have two of the hobby's cooler parallels, Status and Aspirations. Both feature unique die-cuts, with Status numbered to the player's jersey number (rookies use their college numbers) and Aspirations numbered to 100 minus the jersey number.

Another parallel worth mentioning is Turn of the Century Rookies Signatures, which is an autographed parallel to most of the rookies in the set, both signed and unsigned. While this may sound confusing, the cards are clearly marked as such and the foil has a rainbow effect that helps them stand out.

A random hobby box opened for this review produced 84 of the 100 veterans and two unsigned rookies: first-rounder Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and seventh-rounder Allen Patrick. Also inside were an Aspirations parallel of rookie D.J. Hall and a Turn of the Century Signatures card of Marcus Monk.

As mentioned in the opening, Throwback Threads and Passing the Torch Autographs get top billing here. Throwback Threads are memorabilia cards featuring game-worn swatches from football legends like Dan Marino and Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch. There are also current players on the checklist, plus dual versions that combine the two eras. Some of the cards also have prime and/or signed parallels.

Passing the Torch Autographs are dual signature cards with one autograph from an NFL great and the other from a young current star. This year's combos include Barry Sanders/Adrian Peterson, Jerry Rice/Calvin Johnson and Jim Kelly/Trent Edwards.

More game-worn memorabilia can be found in Zoning Commission Jerseys, Stars Jerseys, Chain Reaction Jerseys and Prime Targets Jerseys. Elite Teams Jerseys are worth a special mention, as they show off three game-used pieces from trios of NFL teammates.

Also of interest to college collectors are College Ties Combos, which come in memorabilia and autographed flavors. The hook here is that the swatches or signatures come from a pair of college teammates entering the NFL in 2008, like running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Along with the signed rookie parallel, the About.com sample box contained a pair of memorabilia cards: a Zoning Commission Jerseys Brandon Marshall and a Prime Targets Jerseys Prime Tony Gonzalez with a three-color swatch.

It wouldn't be a Donruss football set without plenty of inserts to spice up packs without memorabilia cards, autographs or rookies. That means regular versions of all of the game-used and signed sets mentioned above, most of which can be found in several parallel levels with varied numbering.

A special shout out goes to the regular Passing the Torch cards this season, as they have a background element that looks like a stylized flame, reinforcing the theme nicely.

My review box turned up an insert in 12 out of 20 packs: three each from Zoning Commission and College Ties, two each from Elite Teams and Stars, and one each from Chain Reaction and Prime Targets.

There's a lot to like about Elite in 2008. The autographed rookies should be popular, and the Throwback Threads memorabilia cards and Passing the Torch Autographs look strong again. It should be noted that the suggested retail price per pack went up a buck from 2007 to $6, but that is somewhat evened out by the increased content. No one quite blends the past, present and future of football like Donruss, and Elite is another solid example of that philosophy.