It has always seemed to me like Madden's devs seem to value their own ideas more so than those of the gamers. Good examples in this post, but let's look at CFM this year.
Untouched last year CFM basically went two cycles untouched. For two cycles, games have asked for several key improvements/features in franchise. CPU roster management, CPU draft logic, trade logic, free agency, contracts, coordinators, better presentation, etc.
Custom draft classes is a big addition, and I'm wait and see on archetypes, but with all these features gamers have been asking for for two years now, why did they decide on 3D backgrounds and team captains? More stuff, like in your post, that nobody asked for.