Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Wild Card weekend. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years of NFL experience (including this season), the crew each official worked with in the regular season (by the referee’s name), college, and outside occupation.
All times are Eastern.
Three alternates are assigned to each game: generally, one is designated for the offensive backfield (a referee or umpire), one is on the line of scrimmage (down judge or line judge), and one is a deep position (side judge, field judge, or back judge). When alternates are listed, their position during the regular season is also given. The prior playoff experience that is listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments).
For the second consecutive season, the Wild Card weekend features a referee getting his first postseason assignment as a crew chief and the referee who has the most postseason games of any active referee with 26.
Saturday, Jan. 6
AFC Wild Card: Titans at Chiefs, 4:35 p.m. ESPN ABC
Jeff Triplette is the referee, who is in his 22nd season and 19th as referee. This is Triplette’s 11th postseason assignment, including 6 Wild Card Playoffs, 4 Divisional Playoffs, and 1 Conference Championship.
Yrs | 2017 crew | College | Occupation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 42 | Jeff Triplette | 22 | Wake Forest | restructuring consultant | |
U | 11 | Fred Bryan | 9 | Allen | Northern Iowa | superintendent, juvenile correctional facility |
DJ | 90 | Mike Spanier | 19 | Parry | St Cloud State | middle school principal |
LJ | 79 | Kent Payne | 14 | Cheffers | Nebraska Wesleyan | teacher |
FJ | 103 | Eugene Hall | 4 | Boger | North Texas | federal agent |
SJ | 109 | Dyrol Prioleau | 11 | Blakeman | Johnson C Smith | manager, law firm |
BJ | 133 | Steve Freeman | 17 | Triplette | Mississippi State | custom home builder* |
*indicates full-time official
- Replay: Earnie Frantz
- Alternates: Pete Morelli (R), Ron Marinucci (LJ), Todd Prukop (BJ)
NFC Wild Card: Falcons at Rams, 8:15 p.m. NBC
Ed Hochuli is the referee, who is in his 27th season and 25th as referee. This is Hochuli’s 26th postseason assignment, the most of any active official, which include 11 Wild Card Playoffs, 5 Divisional Playoffs, 8 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXII and XXXVIII.
Yrs | 2017 crew | College | Occupation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 85 | Ed Hochuli | 28 | Texas-El Paso | attorney | |
U | 14 | Shawn Smith | 3 | Hochuli | Ferris State | internal auditor |
DJ | 28 | Mark Hittner | 21 | Wrolstad | Pittsburg State | investment broker |
LJ | 108 | Gary Arthur | 21 | Steratore | Wright State | president, commercial printing company |
FJ | 72 | Michael Banks | 16 | McAulay | Illinois State | carpenter foreman |
SJ | 88 | Brad Freeman | 4 | Cheffers | Mississippi State | sports park director |
BJ | 119 | Greg Wilson | 10 | Anderson | USC | law enforcement |
- Replay: Billy Smith
- Alternates: Walt Coleman (R), Sarah Thomas (DJ), Gary Cavaletto (SJ)
Sunday, Jan. 7
AFC Wild Card: Bills at Jaguars, 1:05 p.m. CBS
John Hussey is the referee, who is in his 16th season and 3rd as referee. This is Hussey’s 10th postseason assignment, including 4 Wild Card Playoffs, 3 Divisional Playoffs, 2 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLV. This is his first postseason game as referee.
Yrs | 2017 crew | College | Occupation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 35 | John Hussey | 16 | Idaho State | sales representative, retail logistics group | |
U | 129 | Bill Schuster | 18 | swing | Alfred | insurance broker* |
DJ | 110 | Phil McKinnely | 16 | Vinovich | UCLA | inventory control |
LJ | 59 | Rusty Baynes | 8 | Hochuli | Auburn-Montgomery | general manager, safety services* |
FJ | 50 | Aaron Santi | 3 | Torbert | Southern Oregon | middle school principal |
SJ | 55 | Alex Kemp | 4 | Hochuli | Central Michigan | insurance agent |
BJ | 111 | Terrence Miles | 10 | Coleman | Arizona State | quality control manager* |
*indicates full-time official
- Replay: Mike Wimmer
- Alternates: Carl Cheffers (R), Dana McKenzie (LJ), John Jenkins (FJ)
NFC Wild Card: Panthers at Saints, 4:40 p.m. Fox
Tony Corrente is the referee, who is in his 23rd season and 20th as referee. This is Corrente’s 17th postseason assignment, including 6 Wild Card Playoffs, 5 Divisional Playoffs, 5 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLI.
Yrs | 2017 crew | College | Occupation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 99 | Tony Corrente | 23 | Cal State-Fullerton | retired educator | |
U | 92 | Bryan Neale | 4 | Morelli | Indiana | sales consultant |
DJ | 74 | Derick Bowers | 15 | Coleman | East Central | sales representative* |
LJ | 47 | Tim Podraza | 10 | Morelli | Nebraska | banker |
FJ | 33 | Steve Zimmer | 21 | Wrolstad | Hofstra | attorney* |
SJ | 43 | Terry Brown | 12 | Triplette | Tennessee | probation supervisor |
BJ | 105 | Dino Paganelli | 12 | Steratore | Aquinas College | educator |
*indicates full-time official
- Replay: Larry Nemmers
- Alternates: Jerome Boger (R), Kevin Codey (LJ), Tony Steratore (BJ)
They are not nomal crew this weekend . That me show best of best official
So are all these guys one & done or will some get another game?
I don’t get how Jeff Triplette could get a referee in the NFL, let alone him getting a playoff assignment now. His on-field presence is so ridiculously bad if you compare it to McAulay, Vinovich, Anderson etc. who have done Super Bowls. He looks so amateurish and dilettante. He stutters when he has to announce more than one foul or make a complex ruling explanation. I just can’t imagine him being a leader who can bring together a group of officials who probably have not worked together so far for an important NFL game.
none of these guys will be considered for the Super Bowl since that referee comes from next week group.
How is Jeff Triplette even considered for a playoff game.
Hochuli and Corrente are not Wild Card referees they are a lot better then that
Normally the “Tier 1” officials only cover Conference Championship games and Super Bowl and fill out Divisional Round if there are any extras. The NFL does not assign it #1 to Super Bowl, #2 and #3 to CC, #4 through #7 to Divisional, and #8 through #11 to Wild Card Round. Officials in “Tier 1” are those who graded out high enough to be considered for CC/Super Bowl if they had requisite experience. Officials in “Tier 3” are those who need improvement and do not qualify for an on-field playoff assignment (some may be assigned as Alternates just due to lack of numbers at a position, but if an official is healthy, eligible to receive a playoff assignment, and did not even receive an Alternate then official probably was in “Tier 3”). Everyone else is “Tier 2.” After all “Tier 1” officials are assigned, “Tier 2” officials fill out the spots. NFL seems to like giving an on-field assignment to Tier 2 officials who may have gone the longest without one all else being equal or, if an official worked the Super Bowl the season prior then merely grading out as “Tier 2” the following year will likely mean that that official will only get an alternate assignment if enough other officials at the position are “Tier 2” or higher. Divisional Round and Wild Card Rounds are lumped together, so an official may be the #4 ranked official at a position, but only 3 are “Tier 1,” and be assigned a Wild Card game. This happens because the NFL likes to keep the crews balanced (for example, if you only have 11 LJ eligible and grading high enough to qualify the league may want the 11th ranked LJ to be paired with one of the top 2 DJ who did not receive CC or Super Bowl). I apologize for the length of this response.
Dear God, no. Please, anyone but Triplette …
As long as Jerome Boger is nowhere near a playoff game.
Triplette ref-ing a playoff game? What does that say about the state of officiating today? Either that or the apocalypse is upon us.
For Divisional I see: Torbert, McAuley, Steratore, Allen. CC: Vinovich, Blakeman. SB: Steratore.
“Index Card” Steratore for the SB? Come now.
I see:
Divisional – Morelli, steratore, McAuley and Allen
CC – Vinovich and Blakeman
SB – Morelli
I believe the SB crew are selected from the best officials from the divisional round. I don’t know how the championchip round officials are picked, but I know they will not be in the SB. So:
– This is the last time we’ll see Triplet
– Who knows where Steratore will go.
F*ck Triplette
JEFF TRIPLETTE IS RETIRING
Tony C crew final 5 to 6 minutes of that game was horrible, they botched several calls and situations in that Panthers/Saints game