Never played franchise. I've always been an online guy.

Anyway, I messed around in practice mode for about 20 minutes last night. It's light years ahead of NCAA in just about every department. Man defense isn't overpowered. Zone defense still sucks, but that's to be expected. The animations are crisp and the game is about as smooth as you can get. The run pursuit is drastically improved. Flats are still vulnerable but they're better defended than last year. Pass rush appears to be almost perfect.

Haven't played online yet, but I'm definitely guessing my experience will be much more enjoyable.