Scouting report on the referees

[convertedpatsfan]

It's an ESPN link for those without ad blockers and a sensitivity to it.

Conference title games referee scouting report: From one extreme to the other

Most notably, his crew led the league with 4.7 offensive holding penalties per game. ... As fans watch Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, they should know that McAulay called three roughing the passer penalties all season. The league high was 12. ... McAulay's crew also called an average of one offensive pass interference foul per game, the highest average in the league.

In a nutshell, expect lots of flags except on late hits on the QB, which I'm sure Pittsburgh is excited about.

I'd expect a terrible game from the refs on this one. I could see some late hits, some phantom OPI on our screens, some ******** holding calls...it's almost like Goodell hand-picked this guy for the game.

 

[groundgame]

McAulay is a very solid NFL referee. Can't recall many big games where his refereeing was the story-line. I think they'll let the boys play tomorrow, unless things get out of control.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Except any stats about "his crew" are meaningless since he's not working with his crew.

 

[turkeyneck]

McAulay called three roughing the passer penalties all season.

This plays right into what I'm sure will be Tomlin's instructions to his D. Hit Brady, even if it's after the whistle.