Well, I don't know what people are talking about when they say that Halo is becoming/basically CoD. When I played AW, it felt absolutely nothing like the Halo 5 Beta, and vice versa. They are still very different games, people are just focusing too much on the few changes that have been added to Halo that bear similarity to things in other FPS games.
Also, I've never heard anyone say that excuse, so I don't know where you're getting that from.
Personally, I think 343 is doing fine by not keeping Halo the same way it was in 3 prior. They're making the Halo they want, not a halo that's a remake of an older game.
Games are supposed to change as they move on, Halo just happens to have bigger changes than most. It is, in no way a bad thing, and I think most of the flak it's getting is people who can't/refuse to adapt.
These are just my thoughts and opinions, though.