I feel the same man, and like you its when it made the turn to next gen, well actually it was when EA pussed out and gobbled up all the rights so that they wouldnt have any competition. I havent purchased a Madden since 2006 but i did purchase 09. Its funny, up until 2006 i used to defend the hell out of Madden against all the 2K guys, but i went out and purchased NFL 2K5 after i had played Madden 09 and its a damn shame how EA has treated those exclusive licenses. As a TOTAL package, Madden doesnt come close to 2k's game.
Someone once said of EA's practices:
"If ya cant beat em, buy em".