PEABODY — Paula Hannon had no choice but to position a couch in the middle of the 24-by-26-foot great room in her Melrose home. It was the only way she could stop her three sons, Fran, Kevin, and Dan from knocking each other to the ground.

In the space, covered wall-to-wall with green carpet, the Hannon brothers used white tape to mimic yard lines, effectively transforming the family’s leisure room into an indoor gridiron.