Antonio Pierce revisits a defensive players mentality and warns that Cam Newton may be in for some rough play on the field as opposing defenses are hyper aware of his weaknesses. (1:41)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has now spoken publicly and privately about the state of officiating in the NFL. Newton, as you might have heard, has felt unprotected by rules that are intended to shield quarterbacks around the league from dangerous contact.

Cam Newton seems likely to see plenty of flags from Terry McAulay and his crew Sunday in Los Angeles. Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The ensuing days were dominated by dueling reports. Some illustrated Newton's point, while others noted that missed calls are hardly limited to him. In truth, you can cultivate anecdotal examples to make either argument. As long as officiating remains a human endeavor, it will include an unavoidable element of subjectivity and -- sorry -- inconsistency among its decisions.

To that point, it's worth reviewing which NFL officiating crews are most likely to call the type of penalties that Newton is looking for.

In Week 9, at least, Newton faces a mixed bag of information.

Referee Terry McAulay and his crew are scheduled for the Panthers' game Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams. McAulay has worked only four games this season because of a September medical issue, so his raw numbers are lower than some other referee crews. But, as the first chart shows, McAulay still has called eight unnecessary-roughness penalties this season. His average of two per game is the highest in the NFL.

NFL Week 9 Officiating Assignments Crew Game Penalties/game* McAulay, Terry Panthers-Rams 21.5 Boger, Jerome Saints-49ers 20 Parry, John OFF 19.9 Triplette, Jeff Cowboys-Browns 19.5 Allen, Brad Titans-Chargers 19.3 Hussey, John Steelers-Ravens 17.9 Blakeman, Clete Broncos-Raiders 17.3 Anderson, Walt Bills-Seahawks 17.1 Corrente, Tony Colts-Packers 17 Cheffers, Carl OFF 16.8 Hochuli, Ed Lions-Vikings 16.5 Torbert, Ronald Falcons-Buccaneers 15 Wrolstad, Craig OFF 14.1 Steratore, Gene Jaguars-Chiefs 14 Morelli, Pete OFF 13.4 Vinovich, Bill Eagles-Giants 13.3 Coleman, Walt Jets-Dolphins 12.9 *Includes accepted, declined and offsetting

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

He is one of two referees who hasn't called a roughing-the-passer penalty, but suffice it to say, McAulay's crew has been active in calling the types of penalties Newton was referring to. As usual, perhaps the most notable takeaway from this chart is the disparity between the most and least active crews.

Through eight weeks of the season, some crews have been six times more likely to call a roughing-the-passer or unnecessary-roughness penalty than others. Some of that difference must be attributed to the teams involved -- certain players and teams are more prone to commit penalties than others -- but it also speaks to the subjectivity that occurs when humans are making judgment calls.

McAulay, of course, is one game removed from the most heavily flagged game of the season. He called a total of 34 penalties, including those declined, in the Oakland Raiders' 30-24 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. An NFL-record 23 of those accepted calls went against the Raiders, who since 2001 have been the most penalized team in the NFL. Their 1,984 accepted penalties over that span (through Week 7 of 2016) is 230 more than the next-most-penalized team. Another 317 penalties have been declined or offset.

How widely can penalty calls vary between games? On the same weekend that McAulay and crew threw 34 flags, referee Gene Steratore threw just five in the Monday night matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Pete Morelli's crew, meanwhile, threw eight flags in Cleveland when the Browns hosted the New York Jets.

In either event, Week 9 vaulted McAulay to the top of our updated penalty frequency chart, which you can find below. Week 9 game assignments are included.

NFL Week 9 Penalty Breakdown Crew Roughing Passer Unnecessary Roughness Total* Hussey, John 4 8 12 Blakeman, Clete 3 8 11 Allen, Brad 3 7 10 Anderson, Walt 5 5 10 Triplette, Jeff 3 7 10 Wrolstad, Craig 3 7 10 Cheffers, Carl 1 8 9 Hochuli, Ed 9 9 Morelli, Pete 2 7 9 McAulay, Terry 8 8 Boger, Jerome 1 6 7 Coleman, Walt 3 4 7 Parry, John 2 4 6 Steratore, Gene 3 3 6 Vinovich, Bill 3 3 6 Corrente, Tony 1 1 2 Torbert, Ronald 1 1 2 *Includes accepted, declined and offsetting

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

All statistics courtesy ESPN Stats & Information.