It’s football time in Tennessee and every other state in the union. The radio and television airway, airwaves, or however things are transmitted these days are filled with sports jargon being spewed by anyone with a phone or a microphone.

When the Oilers first relocated to the area, I anxiously awaited the words of wisdom from their wunderkind coach, Jeff Fisher. The voice of the Oilers, Mike Keith, asked the coach what tasks the team would need to perform in order to defeat the opponent.

Having been a Vanderbilt fan for 45 years, I was eager to hear insight what a professional coach on a winning – OK, a team that didn’t have a losing record – would impart.

As best I can remember, here is what I gleaned from the interview. As for the offense, “We have to make plays.” On the defensive side of the ball, it was a bit more complex as he repeated the demands he made of the players. “I told them that they have to step up and make plays.”

It gets better. On special teams, someone had to step up and make plays. Last week I heard Vanderbilt coach James Franklin interviewed and, based on this interview, I predict success for the Commodores under his reign. He feels that in order for Vanderbilt to prevail, the Commodores have to make plays. And he added a new wrinkle: “Someone has to become a playmaker.”

Throughout his tenure as Titan head coach, Jeff Fisher continued to preach the need for someone to “make plays.” Perhaps that is why they are called players. If Franklin can do as well as Fisher did, he will be here as long as he wants. Over there, they don’t have to make as many plays as the Titans did under Fisher.

George Cassidy and I once wrote a book that translated the career of the Beatles as a business model. Perhaps, I should call another George – George Plaster – and see if he would consider partnering on a book in which we use football as a source of a business plan.

I feel that a football coach would be able to turn the real estate situation around. After watching films of analysts and practice sessions, the coach could tell the Realtors to “make sales.” If Realtors made sales, the market would improve.

It would work with banks. Simple enough. Make loans. In banking, the football tenet that pertains to offense comes into play. Rather than protecting the ball, they would need to protect the money.

In housing, the defensive mantra is necessary. Realtors must create turnovers. By forcing turnovers, houses sell. The Realtors must game plan – this can be a noun or a verb – in order to force the sellers to turn their house over to the buyers.

In this market, the kicking game is also important. In order to sell a house, sellers must realize the drive is stalled and punt. Sometimes a quick kick can work, known in real estate as a short sale. In both cases, penalties can be severe and costly, so beware.

And don’t forget to have the property surveyed as encroachments are more costly in real estate. A defensive tackle may jump across the line, then retreat. It is more difficult for a 20-ton building that is encroaching to jump back on sides.

So as you formulate your game plan (now a noun) for your real estate transactions, remember the Titans.

Richard Courtney is a real estate broker with Pilkerton Realtors and the author of Come Together: The Business Wisdom of the Beatles and can be reached at [email protected] and is no threat to sports commentators.