not being a football nut i think i sorta liked the more arcadey yet still sim vibes of 2K1-2K3 than where the series started to head, though it was still fun (and full of endless content AND A POLYGONAL CHRIS BERMAN) and never as clinical as Madden, though i haven't played a Madden since 08 i had for years
2K very quickly captured the "feel" of grinding out yards up the field over the course of an extended drive that was compelling due to the animations and how the players interacted, while Madden spent five years or more having robotic models that would hold in positions while engaging in nonsensical collision
never blamed EA though, the NFL offered exclusivity to multiple parties, even if they probably preferred the Madden brand/relationship and were very much not pleased with 2K's $20 price move that EA dropped to $40 to compete with
one thing we can thank David Stern for, he didn't see the point of exclusivity like the NFL and MLB wanted so bad, the more licenses the merrier...though EA sorta wound up giving 2K a defacto monopoly
