I waited until today to put the Emmitt Smith card through his paces because The Artist dominated everything yesterday.
The first thing that I'd like to talk about are the abilities. No Bruiser at all, Reach For It is 2 AP. Sure, Short In Elite is free or you could go with Backfield Master but overall these are a questionable set of abilities for the NFL's all time leading rusher.
As a rusher, he was better than Chubb but worse than Stevenson. I had him powered up to 99 SPD and ACC and he hit the holes well and was able to navigate tosses and stretches.
The problem comes after contact. If he is caught from behind waiting for a play to develop or once a defender comes in contact with him the run is over. He doesn't have the power like a Quadfather or Stevenson to shed tackles or truck carry a defender. The other problem was that more often than not he was unable to fall for extra yards even with Bulldozer and Reach For It activated.
Emmitt is a much better receiver than a rusher with Short In Elite and Route Technician. He doesn't feel particularly sticky when trying to go out for passes from the backfield and his inability to fall forward isn't felt as much as it is as a rusher.
I did notice that shoestring tackles as a receiver trip him up more than they do with Flash or Combine Chris Johnson. You could remedy this with Balance Beam for 2 AP but really, why?
That brings me back to the abilities. They sit somewhere in the middle of rushing and receiving and end up making him mediocre to average depending if he's rushing or receiving.
He's definitely usable at this stage of the game but there are much better options for you. Flash is free if you're looking for a receiving back and Stevenson is hovering around the 420k mark if you need a power back. He should have been a Freight Train RB but alas, I don't have control over that.
What we end up with is an Emmitt Smith that is a below average rusher no matter how much AP you dedicate to him and an average to slightly above average receiving back depending on how much AP you want to spend on him. If that seems worth the 430k he's currently going for right now as I type this then get him in the auction house before he leaves packs Monday morning April 3rd.
Full disclosure. I run an Ultimate Legends offensive line with Tornado and Terror as backups. I played multiple hours in practice and H2H but not in seasons because I'm on the cusp of a Superbowl.
Thank you for your time.
