I feel the same way. A weekly highlight show (preferably narrated) that shows you visually some of what's going on elsewhere in your league would help bring a sense of cohesion and immersion to franchise mode. I think some game made 7 years ago did something like that.
EDIT: I suppose it would help big time if it could at least reference past seasons (e.g., the reigning Super Bowl champs lost to a team that went 2-14 last season in this week 7 match-up...)