1. Not really an innovation, games before were just doing what they could with the hardware available. The original Madden ran like crap because of 22 players.
2. I'm not really a franchise guy, but Tecmo Super Bowl 2 has a multi-season mode with trades five years earlier. I'm sure their were PC games based on the idea of franchise mode before Madden got it.
3. Wasn't there something similar in NFL 2K5 that was released earlier?
4. Good, but flawed, idea that was hated by many.
Don't remind me of those damn things. No visibility and only three receivers? Tecmo bowl style arrow over the head was a lot more functional.