"Yet again" is entirely unfair. There's no reasonable argument that it was put on the back burner for M17, M16, M15, M13, M12, or M10. Each one of those games offered significant additions and changes to the franchise experience. I'll allow M25 because the only thing that got added back there was Owner mode, which I've always felt was kinda superfluous, and M11 was an obvious off year IIRC.
Does it suck that franchise wasn't a focus this year? Yes. Absolutely. But let's evaluate this from a rational position rather than an emotional one. The sky isn't falling.
Depends on what you're looking for.
If you're looking for a deep single-player franchise experience, then sure, Madden isn't for you right now. You'll find better single-player experiences in The Show and NBA 2K, easily. However, Madden's multiplayer online functionality in franchise mode is best in class; the servers are reliable, the streamlining of the mode really helps keep leagues moving (my league got further this past year than any other league I've ever run),
the servers are reliable, it's well-balanced experience in a multiplayer context,
the servers are reliable... I could go on.
Also, the servers are reliable.