What became something of a subplot to Seattle’s 14-5 loss to Tampa Bay last week was the officiating crew led by Bill Vinovich.
And not just the review that led to the safety that basically gave the Seahawks every point they got in the game, but also what coach Pete Carroll mentioned later about understanding that Vinovich’s crew typically calls as few penalties as any in the NFL, and that they expected their game to be called accordingly.
In fact, according to Pro Football Reference, Vinovich’s crew calls 3.52 penalties fewer per game than the league average of 13.