NFL Zebra Watch Week #6
This Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs and Titans will go head to head and the officiating crew that will handle the game is one of the league’s best.
At this point in the season, Gene Steratore and his crew have averaged the fewest accepted penalties of any of the league’s 17 officiating crews. Steratore and his group average nine flags per game.
That’s nearly half of the most active crew in the league at this point. Jeff Triplette’s group has seen an average of 17.4 penalties per game walked off.
Again, that’s a huge difference in officiating consistency. The most flags Steratore’s crew has marked off in six games was 13. Triplette’s crew has had games with 19, 21 and 22 penalties accepted. There fewest in five games was 11 penalties.
Steratore’s crew does not tend to overthrow their flags in any one area. Their favorite penalty is illegal contact on the defense. They call more pass interference calls against the offense than the defense.
WEEK #6
| Â Rank | Â Referee | Penalties- Yards |
Declined/ Offsetting |
 Home |  Visitors |
| 1. | Ed Hochuli |
5-35 |
2 |
1-5 |
4-30 |
| 2. | Gene Steratore |
8-48 |
1 |
4-25 |
4-23 |
| 3. | Terry McAulay |
9-56 |
1 |
4-30 |
5-26 |
| Â | Bill Leavy |
9-93 |
1 |
3-20 |
6-73 |
| 5. | Bill Carollo |
10-97 |
1 |
4-52 |
6-45 |
| 6. | Carl Cheffers |
11-96 |
2 |
7-80 |
4-16 |
| Â | Jeff Triplette |
11-95 |
5 |
6-50 |
5-45 |
| 8. | Al Riveron |
12-103 |
5 |
6-46 |
6-57 |
| Â | Tony Corrente |
12-195 |
2 |
7-99 |
5-96 |
| Â | Ron Winter |
12-68 |
1 |
10-58 |
2-10 |
| 11. | Jerome Boger |
15-117 |
5 |
11-84 |
4-33 |
| Â | John Parry |
15-93 |
2 |
10-55 |
5-38 |
| 13. | Walt Coleman |
17-132 |
0 |
7-53 |
10-79 |
| 14. | Pete Morelli |
24-163 |
1 |
12-70 |
12-93 |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Home/Away numbers in red for winning team
2008 OVERALL
| Â Â
Rank |
 Â
Referee |
 Â
Games |
 Avg. Flags |
 Penalties- Yards |
 Â
Home |
 Â
Visitors |
| 1. | Gene Steratore |
6 |
9 |
54-429 |
23 |
31 |
| 2. | Walt Coleman |
6 |
9.3 |
56-440 |
21 |
35 |
| 3. | Carl Cheffers |
5 |
9.6 |
48-390 |
31 |
17 |
| 4. | Walt Anderson |
5 |
11 |
55-365 |
23 |
32 |
| Â | Mike Carey |
4 |
11 |
44-381 |
23 |
21 |
| 6. | Al Riveron |
6 |
11.2 |
67-653 |
38 |
29 |
| 7. | Scott Green |
5 |
11.4 |
57-432 |
28 |
29 |
| 8. | Tony Corrente |
6 |
11.8 |
71-652 |
36 |
35 |
| Â | Bill Leavy |
5 |
11.8 |
59-500 |
27 |
32 |
| 10. | Terry McAulay |
5 |
12 |
60-568 |
34 |
26 |
| 11. | John Parry |
5 |
12.2 |
61-472 |
33 |
28 |
| 12. | Bill Carollo |
5 |
13.4 |
67-529 |
30 |
37 |
| 13. | Ed Hochuli |
6 |
13.7 |
82-669 |
42 |
40 |
| 14. | Jerome Boger |
5 |
13.8 |
69-500 |
39 |
30 |
| 15. | Pete Morelli |
4 |
14 |
56-380 |
26 |
30 |
| 16. | Ron Winter |
5 |
14.2 |
71-606 |
38 |
33 |
| 17. | Jeff Triplette |
5 |
17.4 |
87-692 |
48 |
39 |
I don’t think 5-6 games is a large enough sample size to get any idea of how many they actually throw. I mean, if they officiated games that we played in, then there’s going to be almost no chance for pass interference! Why would teams pass against us when they can run all over us!!