I believe people think last gen madden was GREAT bc it was GREAT for its time, compared to every other sports game it was the cream of the crop and was the most enjoyable and polished; as much as it could be on those consoles.
Then we look forward to this gen and every iteration of madden so far has been Sub-Par compared to other sports titles today, other football games 5 & 8 years older than it, and the most telling; WHAT IT COULD AND SHOULD BE. The ridicule comes when the only thing that has really changed in these past 8 or so years is the Cartoony Player Models.