The Free Version of Retro Bowl, a football coaching simulation in the style of the old-school National Football League, in which you can draft, sign, and cut players before taking control of them on offense, has been the subject of two of my previous reviews, and both have proven to be quite popular (or unpopular, if you loved the game). The developer deserves credit for addressing many of the concerns I raised in my first review, therefore I have no plans to write a third unless there have been significant changes since my previous one.

I've just been playing the game  retro bowl on and off, but I though I'd compile a list of five suggestions that could assist you out without having to really buy anything.

First, the playoffs are irrelevant until later in the season.
While you may start your first season with a lot of salary cap room, you may not have enough Coaching Credits (the game's in-game money) to make any significant personnel changes. Accept your first season for what it is and simply try to attain a winning record and reach the playoffs unless you want to spend actual money on this game (and you really don't have to).

The game was recently updated to reflect the NFL's new 7-team playoff structure, which means that unless your club finishes as the top seed in the AFC or NFC, it will not get a first-round bye on its way to the championship game (called the "Retro Bowl" in the game).

Don't worry if you have a bad stretch during the regular season, particularly if it's your first year. Accumulating Coaching Credits in Year 1 is crucial to drafting and signing the right players and hiring the best coaches.

It's important to strike a good mix between drafting for potential and realizing that rookie contracts in the NFL may be quite short.
It's important to get the most out of the draft, especially at the beginning of your career. This may mean dealing away some of the dead-end players you were trapped with for the whole first season in return for players with more upside.