1)Replays are available after H2H in a SIM league (clips, stream archives, etc)
2)You can play true to SIM in SIM leagues
3)Headsets are not required in most leagues
I'm not downing the OFFLINE ONLY guys but it almost seems like you won't play vs real competition to a fault. No A.I. is ever (Madden related) gonna compare to battling vs a knowledgeable like minded SIM player in a league, or even unranked in scrimmages.
Growing up (ages 15-19) I always played 2K, and Madden offline franchise modes, but when I played a human opponent online the first time back in 2K8 it changed EVERYTHING. The human element from a competitive stand point can't EVEN begin to be compared to the A.I.
So to those that say things like''strictly, or only'' OFFLINE, you're really missing out on something that really brings the game to life, and that's H2H competition.
And I'm not talking about MUT aka ''they forgot about us'', I'm talking about a mode that requires no more than your time, football IQ and team building skills. Online CFM vs users is the best game mode there is if you can find yourself a quality league that fits your schedule.
There are SIM leagues that literally advance once per week, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find one hour inside of one hundred and sixty eight.