Just put football first, or your job first. Give everything you've got all week, work hard, work super-hard to take it to the next level every week. And when you feel like you got to the point where you want to be, you definitely need the time to go out, relax, have a good time, take all the stress off it.
After a workout, you definitely have to have a protein shake. I drink my six-pound whey protein all the time, too. I throw some fruit in there - strawberries, blueberries - with some peanut butter and banana, and it gives you all the recovery you need from a hard day of lifting and running.