Various items will give you bonuses. Ordinary items will give you a fan bonus, while properties will give you a media bonus. Vehicles will give you a team bonus. Fan and media bonuses increase the rate at which you get sponsors. The team bonus increases your progress in moving up the depth chart.
Gloves
You can purchase gloves that give passive bonuses to your base stats. The gloves deteriorate over time and will eventually have to be replaced. However they are useful when you are facing a difficult team. The first pair of gloves you obtain is free, courtesy of your coach.
Keep your coach happy
To move up the depth chart, you must keep your coach happy. Go to the "Social" menu and talk to your coach. Perform well through smart play calling. Do not waste stamina before a game or you will risk not getting put into the game and dropping on the depth chart.
Practicing plays
When you practice a play, you can level it up and decrease its stamina cost and risk. To do so, wait for the arrow above the receiver to turn green, then slide towards him. If done correctly, you should earn a "PERFECT!" rating. Each time you get a "Perfect" rating, the play will level up. When first starting, level up all of your available plays at least once. Getting them to level 2 decreases the stamina cost by 5%, allowing you stay in the game for a longer period of time.
Reputation
Your reputation is represented by the "Social" tab. It allows you to see how well your fans, the media, your team, and your coach like you. Keeping those values high will reward you with more money and fans, which in turn will result in more wages. If you have extra stamina, increase the reputation of one of these categories. You will start to attract sponsors as you become more popular, which will also increase your wages.
Stamina
Every action depletes a small amount of stamina. Stamina recovers automatically after you play a game against another team, and increases more from every vehicle and property you own. When you select plays for your QB, if you are low on stamina, choose the most heavily trained play. This will be the one with the lowest stamina cost. Your stamina will not refill automatically over time. You will have to purchase energy drinks to refill your stamina, however at the end of the tutorial your income per game should be at least 15, which is enough to afford the cheapest energy drink. Balance your stamina by working on your plays, training, and social stats equally. Play in a game occasionally to earn money for more energy drinks.
Working out
Work out to increase your stats. Your three main stats are Agility, Speed, And Strength. Increasing them will unlock more plays. Agility is leveled by waiting for the boxes on the left and right sides to fill. When full, quickly tap them to get higher points. Speed is developed by tapping when your QB is over the dash lines. When timed perfectly you will earn more points. Strength is improved by tapping the boxes as fast as possible.
Bonus items...