So I bought ESPN 2k5 on a whim the other day from my retro game store. For years (starting in 2004) I have always wondered why the CPU plays so crappy in franchise mode. Then I had an epiphany and after days of testing, I can confirm that this works.
The problem lies when you go into franchise mode, even if you have saved your sliders and they load in with you, the sliders are not "activated." In order to activate them, do the following:
Have a set of sliders that you want to use and program them in. You can even save them if you want to. I suggest these:
https://forums.operationsports.com/f...ix-2k14-2.html
Load into franchise mode with whatever options you want. Doesn't matter.
When you are at the franchise main screen (the coach's desk), go into options and go to the sliders. Change them to legend and back out to the main franchise screen (coach's desk).
Go back into options and go to the sliders. From there change them back to custom. Back out to the main franchise screen again. From there, play your game.
After that point the game should play dramatically better. From my experience, you shouldn't have to do it again until you exit the franchise you are in and then load it back.
I hope this helps you all enjoy the game immensely better. It is now my favorite football game to play. This is why people could never find a set of sliders that were consistent.
Let me know if this method works for you as well.
EDIT: I would also like to point out that for my testing I used the last official roster update from Visual Concepts and I played on Xbox 360.