Playoffs/Super Bowl

I agree with much has been posted here. Very well deserved by John Parry, an outstanding official. I don’t believe Steratore was eligible by previous requirements (not working a CC game as a R), but not sure if Parry had before either. Steratore is my personal favorite on a side note due to his game management and mic work. I also believe that Carey and McAuley are definitely superb white hats, but their omission may be due to poor crew performance this season.

Preth January 17, 2012 at 9:00 pm: The CC requirement doesn’t need to be as an R. Any position will do.

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Michael January 18, 2012 at 2:17 am: John Parry has a Super Bowl under his belt. He was the Side Judge to Tony Corrente in SB XLI in Miami.

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Janna85 January 17, 2012 at 7:28 pm

I agree, Jeff congratualtions to all selecteed re

SportingBecky January 17, 2012 at 8:13 pm

Yes…………..

Found a photog who will be on the Field at the NFC Championship NFL Referee R-85 Ed Hochuli game!!!! Good will get nice photos of him on the field during this game

NJ77 January 17, 2012 at 8:51 pm

I just stumbled upon this site (to see who the Giants are getting this weekend) and am finding the commentary interesting.

I see some comments that the average fan can’t truly tell who’s good at these officiating position and who’s not. I don’t doubt that, but what sort of things can we look for?

My impressions, at least of the head refs, after watching football the past 10-15 years…

Overall, I think Ed Hochuli, Mike Carey, and Gene Steratore are the best. They seem to know their stuff and are always in control, even if they ham it up a bit.

I dread seeing games with Ron Winter and Jeff Triplette. Winter seems old, slow, and really flag-happy. There’s no flow to his games, and I never cheer because I’m just waiting for another bizarre penalty to be called. Of course there was that whole fiasco in SF in the 39-38 playoff game.

Triplette seems to be in way over his head. Off hand, I think of him: blinding a guy and still throwing flags towards players years later, messing up the overtime rules, wasting what seemed to be 15 minutes on a coach’s challenge without realizing that the team was already out of timeouts, etc.

I know all this is just superficial, but still…this is what comes across on TV. With two high-profile games with Bill Leavy screw-ups, and that really bad incident in that 11-10 Steelers/Chargers game a few years back, the integrity of the game can seem compromised at times.

Last, is it me, or is defensive pass interference not being called as frequently as in prior years? Is the trend toward letting DB’s play, but calling more illegal contact up front and fouls for hitting defenseless receivers?

Gonna poke around the site a bit more now…thanks!

Preth January 17, 2012 at 9:27 pm

Welcome! May I respond to your various inquiries via the email you provided, assuming it’s real? I’d rather not answer this large message with an even larger message.

NJ77 January 17, 2012 at 10:06 pm: Yikes, I had no idea I was this long-winded. Sorry.

I’d like that very much, thanks — no rush, though. My e-mail is real.

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Russ January 17, 2012 at 10:48 pm

@NJ77- The 11-10 Steelers-Chargers game was Officiated by Scott Green not Bill Leavy. Leavy did the Playoff game between those two teams later that year.

Mick January 17, 2012 at 9:50 pm

Congrats to Al Riveron and that crew on a conference championship game, well deserved after a bounce back season. Now don’t muck it up

Tom in Tennessee January 18, 2012 at 4:57 am

Great picks for SB this year!

Tom in Tennessee January 18, 2012 at 4:58 am

I also wanted to mention that I think it’s a shame that Mike Carey is left out of post season wotk this year!. I feel he’s the best of all.

Kenneth January 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm

While I don’t agree he’s the best (I’m on the Blakeman train big time) I agree that he shouldn’t have been left out. Certainly he was better than Cheffers (who, IMO, is bottom 5)

Preth January 18, 2012 at 2:01 pm: Not this year.

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bob w January 18, 2012 at 5:05 am

Congrads to all the guys who received assignments. I personally know about 75% of the NFL guys . They are all good guys deep down, sometimes when you see them having a problem, many times it’s because they over officiate. What i marvel over is the how these guys can keep their concentration at a high level. From the time they get to the stadium 2 1/2 hours before, they have someone in their face with game details, TV Network (Commercials breaks), Stadium Security (In case there is an evacuation), Timers, Ball Boys, chain crews. I like the assignments, 2 michigan Guys C & P Pags great guys

Sal Martino January 18, 2012 at 5:07 am

Mick, I agree with 100% about Al!!(Great Post)

Joe Platania January 18, 2012 at 9:16 am

For whatever the hell it’s worth, I deem anyone who has a real interest in NFL officiating a “ref-head” (including me, of course!). This site, and the dialogue within, gets better and better all the time, I believe, and this year had the most spirited debates yet!… Hopefully, we “ref-heads” can unite, cross our fingers and hope there are no questionable calls the rest of the way!

ken January 18, 2012 at 11:22 am: Joe (or anyone else) – thoughts on penalties (per game) seemingly cut in half during the playoffs this year. I know that it is typical to ‘let the boys play’ and decide the outcome in the playoffs, but half seems like a larger than normal number. For instance, I thought that Steratore’s crew did an excellent job Sat without calling a ton of penalties and I think that Moreli’s group was above average without calling ONE penalty on Baltimore. Thoughts?

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Geno January 18, 2012 at 11:38 am

Super Bowl ref John Parry also did the SF vs Balt game on Thanksgiving Night.

Kenneth January 18, 2012 at 12:42 pm: I thought about this too, as it would be interesting if SF and BALT win. Not only would it be the Harbowl (or the Superbaughl) but Parry would again be the referee. To my recollection, only Mike Carey (pats-giants) has had a regular season match up in the Super Bowl

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Wayne January 18, 2012 at 11:57 am

Sal, I agree. Riveron deserves to work as do all other officials. But I find it strange that you only seem to post when it comes to Riveron and not on any other official or subject. You stated you worked college with Riveron. When was this and what conference? I’m not trying to pick on you. But fair is fair. Be objective in your comments and rate Riveron and any other official the same way; good or poor. I live in Florida and worked high school in the same association as a current NFL Umpire. I was privy to how the evaluations are done and have actually seen them. Again, Riveron earned his stripes and will have millions of evaluators on Sunday as will Hoculli.

Sal Martino January 18, 2012 at 12:52 pm

Is this Wayne(MEAC) from Titusville or Ft. Myers area.(J. Rice) Or perhaps you could be from Orlando(Ellison).If you are from Florida you should know that Al came from CUSA.I have been objective in the past and will contiue to do so.

Jeff January 18, 2012 at 4:47 pm

Re Parry getting the SB gig, they’ve returned to the system prior to last year where the SB ref worked a Wildcard or Divisional game. Last year Anderson got the SB without working a prior playoff game (tho I think he was an alternate). Was last year just an aberration, or a experiment the NFL decided not to continue?

Jeff January 18, 2012 at 4:49 pm: FYI just rating the playoff crews on their performances, I would have Steretore 1st, then Blakeman, then Parry. And of course the first two had fairly easy, one-sided games. Parry had probably the most intense game of these playoffs and handled it well.

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Rodney January 18, 2012 at 6:14 pm

Wonder why Walt Anderson didn’t get a playoff game this year? I think he is one of the best if not the best ref around now.

Wayne January 18, 2012 at 7:50 pm

Sal, yes he did work in C-USA but actually came out of the Big East. He was mentored by Jerry Austin whom he worked in his NFL crew before retirement. Again, my only comment is that when you do post on this site it is always about Riveron. Maybe you are his number one fan or a “Riveron Groupie”. I just think it is unusual that when you do post it only about him. Are you the same guy that tried to sell his signed business card on E-Bay and Amazon.com? I wish Alberto and all officials this week and beyond great games and little controversy so Mike Periera won’t find anything to write on his FOX page.

Sal Martino January 18, 2012 at 8:15 pm

No, Wayne I am not a Riveron Groupie nor have I have never sold anything on E-Bay concerning Al.I do agree with you about Periera and I hope these crews have a great weekend ahead! Actually my favorite referee is Walt Coleman.Riveron and I go way back and I have just watched him develop through the years!

EDOGG January 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Peter King has an update on Tony Corrente on his si.com column today.

mgm January 19, 2012 at 3:08 pm

Gene Steratore must be an incredible SPORTS official. The day after he did the divisional playoff game at New England (vs Denver) he worked the Ohio State basketball game. That is very impressive

popeye January 20, 2012 at 8:14 am

I won’t be seeing two of my favorite WHs, Triplette and Carey during the playoffs. well at least the Edster made it, congrats to him. Oh well, there is always next year. And Preth thanks for your knowledge as for as the nuances of WHs’ rules. It was a fun year, see you in Aug.

TD January 22, 2012 at 4:37 pm

riveron has different crew in ravens – new eng game,,,why ?

Preth January 22, 2012 at 4:38 pm: Conference Championships and Super Bowls use All-Star crews.

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Mick January 22, 2012 at 6:43 pm

Great job by Riveron and the entire crew, very well done today!

Mick January 22, 2012 at 6:47 pm

The crew in SF today has a more difficult game in those conditions. No doubt with that much experience on the field the NFL is feeling the game is in good hands

HGC99 January 22, 2012 at 6:58 pm

I think Riveron and crew did a really good job with the game. There’s one play I would like to see a replay of to see if they missed a blatant Illegal Contact. It appeared as if Flacco was still in the pocket but a replay of it wasn’t shown. That’s the only thing I saw that might have been missed.

steve opsasnick January 22, 2012 at 7:59 pm

Hochuli would be fine if he wasn’t so long-winded….they shouldn’t allow a lawyer to have a microphone! John Parry is a great choice for SB. Realize that assignments are based on evaluations, but surprised at all the love for Riveron….seems pretty mediocre to me.

Preth January 22, 2012 at 8:48 pm

The officiating in today’s AFC championship was possibly the best full-crew performance of the season, to date. Parry’s NO-SF playoff game was also top-notch.

Mike c January 22, 2012 at 10:07 pm: Totally agree Perth! It was very smooth, nice when there is no discussion of officiating and all the focus is on the play. So far both games running well but the NFC game is more of a slug fest.

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ken January 23, 2012 at 3:50 pm: I concur Preth, the entire group of AFC Championship officials were consistent; you knew that the game was going to be called leniently from the onset, yet the officials still had control.

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JoeTheMailman January 22, 2012 at 10:59 pm

I guess you guys liked the interception that was called back early in the game because of a bogus pass interference penalty.
As expected, Hercules stayed on the mic far too long to explain things.

Preth January 22, 2012 at 11:05 pm

You mean the illegal contact call in the first game? How was that bogus? Illegal contact was made at about the 6-8 yard range.

ken January 23, 2012 at 3:51 pm

JTM is from Baltimore (I believe)…hard to argue with Webb re-routing the receiver 15 yards down the field.

Preth January 23, 2012 at 4:07 pm: No, he’s from western PA. A Steelers fan, I believe.

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TD January 22, 2012 at 11:35 pm

i doubt parry will have his full crew for superbowl,,,maybe diff sidejudge and 1 more,,,well see

Preth January 22, 2012 at 11:37 pm: I posted his crew in the comments. There’s a link to it at the top of the page. (Full Crew)

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TD January 22, 2012 at 11:45 pm

same thing was on riverons crew for the ravens game but it wasnt his same crew either i dont think

Preth January 22, 2012 at 11:48 pm: TD, it’s a link. Click on it. It takes you to the comment where the exact crews are listed.

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TD January 22, 2012 at 11:58 pm

thanks preth,,,,

Kenneth January 23, 2012 at 12:06 am: just a heads up TD, the CC and SB crews are always all-star crews, much like BCS bowls have an all-star crew from a power 6 conference outside of the two playing in the game (i.e. this years Rose Bowl was B1G v PAC12, and was an ACC all star crew led by Brad Allen)

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Kenneth January 23, 2012 at 12:08 am

both games were superb today. I agree Riveron’s crew today may have been best all season. Wish Hittner had held his whistle another second on the forward progress fumble, but in the end it was FP, just a 49ers fans desire.

Wish the NFC game ended differently (even with NYG winning) I just feel awful for Kyle WIlliams. poor kid.

Looking forward to a 2007 rematch. not

Dan January 23, 2012 at 2:29 am

Tremendous job by Alberto Riveron and Ed Hochuli today. They were picked to do the championship games for a reason, and they proved why.

I personally like the way Hochuli explains his calls. Some might call it wordy, but as a viewer watching at home, I like to hear the reasoning and the rules that apply on a particular call, or review, rather than a ref that goes “The call on the field is confirmed” and walks away.

Looking forward to a solid job by John Parry in the Super Bowl.

Sal Martino January 23, 2012 at 7:26 am

I do agree that BOTH crews yesterday managed a good game. Lots of preventive officiating between plays, this demonstrates great presence on the field!

JoeTheMailman January 23, 2012 at 4:32 pm

I hate Baltimore lol. I’m definitely a Western PA guy. I just thought the receiver ran into Webb. I didn’t see Webb rerouting him. The corner has the right to run with him. When the receiver runs into him, it should be incidental contact, not illegal.

Jeff January 23, 2012 at 11:59 pm

Both Championship crews did good jobs. I was especially impressed with Riveron’s crew. Fairly lenient in what they would or wouldn’t call, but always seemed in control.

I noticed in the NFC game that there were a couple scraps where the refs would let those originally involved shove each other, grab the facemask, etc. without a penalty, but then would penalize the “third man in” sort of like hockey.

Jerry January 27, 2012 at 10:02 am

As a Baltimore fan, I also compliment the job done by Riveron and his crew.

david January 27, 2012 at 11:58 am: Jerry, Yes Riveron did a very good job on Sunday !!! Too bad he couldn’t kick that last field goal for us !!!

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SportingBecky January 27, 2012 at 12:50 pm

NFL Officiating Website

http://www.nflofficiating.com/

Sal Martino January 28, 2012 at 6:55 pm

Gene Steratore and crew may have missed a goal tending score at the end of Syacuse basketball game today!It was a wild finish to an outstanding basketball game today!

Kenneth January 29, 2012 at 1:38 pm: Steratore was on that crew? haha. I know it was Karl Hess who missed it (and yes, it was missed, it was so blatant that I was yelling at the tv and I don’t even like WVU)

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bballref January 30, 2012 at 10:52 am

Love the site guys…as a fan of officiating in general, I enjoy reading commentary and staying informed on how NFL process works.

I am a basketball official (no football experience), so as to the point about the WVU/Syracuse game, it was not Gene Steratore’s call on the goaltend. He is looking for fouls/violation in the painted area (his primary) and is not responsible or able to tell if it’s a goaltend from the baseline under the basket. Unfortunately, Karl Hess or Brian O’Connell have to come up with that goaltend as the C or Trail officials. It was a mistake, and I feel bad for both…I know that both of them feel worse than anyone because they are both top-notch officials.

Thanks!!

Preth January 30, 2012 at 5:08 pm: Thanks for stopping by, and for the insight!

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nita January 30, 2012 at 11:18 am

Becky, those were some great pics of Ed in San Fran. Thanks for sharing. My favorite was when they were all looking up during the coin toss.

SportingBecky January 30, 2012 at 2:16 pm: Thank you Nita…. Some of the real nice ones… come from photographers I have met & asked them to take the photos for me to place on NFL85.com. I need to find me a sponsor so I can afford more pics!

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Jeff February 5, 2012 at 10:15 pm

Excellent job by Parry and his crew tonight!

bob w February 6, 2012 at 4:38 am

I agree, great job by Perry and his crew.

david February 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm

Preth, GREAT JOB running this site this season !!! The football season goes by way to fast !!!

Preth February 6, 2012 at 7:59 pm: Thanks, David. Glad to have you around. I intend to put up a post on the front page within the next couple of days.

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Sal Martino February 23, 2012 at 1:41 pm

Does anyone know how Tony Corrente is doing?

SportingBecky February 23, 2012 at 6:11 pm

I heard no change with R-99 Tony Corrente. I have my friend who knows the Officials checking on more info for me!

SportingBecky April 17, 2012 at 2:14 pm

Tony Corrente Info:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/17/nfl-ref-tony-corrente-gets-good-news-after-chemotherapy/

SportingBecky April 17, 2012 at 2:15 pm: More Info ….. Tony Corrente

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/04/17/tony.corrente/index.html

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Sal Martino February 27, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Does anyone have a list of names for the new 2012 NFL officials?

SportingBecky February 27, 2012 at 1:40 pm: Nothing yet… Most NFL Officials take like 1 to 2 months off after Super Bowl.

Also this yr is contract negotiation year for the NFL Officials….. and as of right now…….. no negotiating going on now. The Officiting office personel were in Indy for Competition Committee meetings.

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BigPoppa March 18, 2012 at 10:08 pm

Saw Mean Gene as an Alternate Official in Pittsburgh for the NCAA Men’s Second and Third Rounds.

Sal Martino April 9, 2012 at 11:42 am

How many new NFL officials (list) were hired for 2012? Who retired and any position changes?

Nita April 17, 2012 at 4:08 pm

Thanks Becky for posting about Corrente…

SportingBecky April 17, 2012 at 4:21 pm: You are welcome…. Nita!!

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SportingBecky April 19, 2012 at 12:55 am

Karl Richins Officiating Website:

http://mentorref.com/

I hope you all do not mind me posting this here. I would like to help Karl Richins promote his Officiating Website. Please Visit!

Also if you are on Twitter… Please follow him at these 2 names.. Please!

@KarlRef
@MentorRef

ChuckInIndy April 24, 2012 at 1:23 pm

Just came across this article on close call sports:
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
NFL Referee Tony Corrente Tumor-Free, Not Yet in the Clear
NFL Referee Tony Corrente began his offseason early to continue cancer treatment following his Saints vs. Lions wild-card playoff game in January.

During a Week One Steelers-Ravens mini-brawl, Corrente had felt a painful sensation in his mouth, prompting an exam and a diagnosis of cancer of the tongue at the throat. Corrente was then placed on chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which would run concurrent with the football season.

Throughout late January and into February, the chemotherapy and radiation treatments’ side effects were very intense and very harrowing: “My quality of life was very poor. I felt like total crud with blisters from ear to ear on my neck, ulcerated blisters over most of my tongue and the same blistering in my throat.” Corrente’s diet was restricted to liquids, his throat unable to process solid food.

Corrente remained defiant: “My girlfriend, Sarah Schilke, kept telling me, ‘All of this is only temporary.’ Those words kept my spirits high.”

Earlier this April, Corrente received the very welcome news that the tumor appears to have been eradicated, though Dr. Randall Weber was still concerned about one slightly irregular lymph node, which will prompt another examination next month to determine the extent of the irregularity.

Nonetheless, the very real prospect of being cancer-free has inspired Corrente: “I have been granted a second chance at life because of the power of friendship, prayer and the greatest team of doctors you could ever imagine. I will use this second chance to help others achieve their dreams and to live and experience all that I can take in with whatever amount of time I’m fortunate enough to have.”

Corrente is a 17-year veteran of the NFL, a back judge during his debut in 1995 and a referee since the 1998 season. He has officiated 13 post-season contests, including 3 AFC and NFC Championships; he was an alternate in Super Bowl XL before working Super Bowl XLI as its referee.

SportingBecky May 9, 2012 at 11:06 pm