The weekly revelation of NFL referee assignments is an event anticipated by at least 32 people. Each franchise has an assistant at some level who maintains a deep database of history, tendencies and recent trends of the referee who will manage the game and -- eventually -- the crew that will assist him.

I'll endeavor to bring some level of that analysis on a regular basis this season via regular check-ins on ESPN.com. The 2016 season, however, will bring a twist: The NFL anticipates making more-than-occasional changes within each crew over the course of the season. One goal will be to avoid the presence of inexperienced officials in prime-time games, and a result could be an evening out of the annual discrepancies of penalty calls between crews.

We shall see. For now, there isn't much basis for reading deep meaning into the Week 1 referee assignments. Each crew is at least partially different from 2015, and one -- Pete Morelli's -- has an entirely different makeup.

The chart simply lists the penalties called per game from each referee's 2015 crew as a mild point of reference. You might note that referee Gene Steratore, who will handle Thursday night's season-opening game in Denver, presided over the 2015 crew that called the fewest penalties -- including those that were declined or offset -- in the NFL. And if it interests you: The Broncos are 3-5 in games Steratore has refereed. The Panthers are 7-4, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

As the season progresses, I'll point out more timely and relevant notes that could impact the outcome of games in ways not everyone considers amid discussions about player matchups and coaching strategies. And yes, a team's own propensity to commit penalties, independent of the officials, will also factor in.