While I cannot comment directly on The Zone experience at Bryant-Denny, I (and our LLC) have similar seats at Florida Field and I absolutely LOVE the amenities and view of the action.
I am a football geek in that I really don't like to socialize during the game - preferring to do that before, at the half, and after the game. With that in mind, Club Seats (or skyboxes) serve a great purpose. Family, friends, business associates can get to the stadium around one hour prior to kickoff and enjoy food and drink in an air conditioned (or climate controlled) environment - not an unimportant factor in Florida in August and September and October, with multiple TVs tuned in to all the games in action. Then when the game starts all can go sit outside and be a part of the 'real' stadium crowd. Back inside for halftime - with easy access to food, adult beverages, and facilities. Back outside for the second half. Back inside for socializing post-game or watch other games - where we can stay until most of the crowd has dispersed. Really, the best of all worlds.
Kinda off topic, but regarding a down-field versus a side-field view. I was a QB and Safety all my playing years and I much prefer the down-field view of the game and action. As Terry alluded, you can see the plays develop in the mind's-eye of a player or coach. You can see blocking angles and seems or gaps in pass coverages that you cannot see from a side-field view. If you never played (or played on the perimeter as a CB or WR mainly) and/or your perspective of the game is mostly from TV coverage (which is terrible in the best of examples), then this might not be the view for you. The only thing you miss with a down-field view is the position of the ball versus the chains or goal line - but with all the in-stadium jumbotrons or TVs that issue is moot.
Completely off topic, I guess. But with digital compression in broadcasting signals today, I wish networks would offer companion broadcasts where one channel had the traditional coverage (side-field view with a concentrated focus on the ball) and a companion channel with a "coach's view" (a down-field view with a broader field-of-view where you see more of how players act in unison and showing the entire scheme effort and not just focusing on the 'result'). I would tune-in to the "coach's view" every time.