Tag: Bill Vinovich

Bill Vinovich to head Super Bowl 58 officiating crew

Bill Vinovich gets the call as referee for Super Bowl 58

One team is set for Super Bowl 58: the officials.

The game, which will take place next month at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, will see veteran referee Bill Vinovich in charge of the officials.

Titans get two suspect pass interference calls on first drive, still can’t score a touchdown

The Titans were bailed out by two questionable pass interference calls on their first drive, and they still couldn’t score a touchdown.

Coming into Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Tennessee Titans, referee Bill Vinovich and his crew were in a three-way tie for the most defensive pass interference penalties called this season with eight. And it didn’t take long for Vinovich to separate himself from his peers. On the Titans’ first drive, the Ravens were flagged twice on some iffy interference calls, and Tennessee’s offense gained 29 extra yards on those two calls.

The penalty called on safety Marcus Williams with 7:16 left in the first quarter was especially “interesting,” and this did not escape the notice of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and NFL Network rules analyst Gene Steratore.

Even with all that help, the Titans fell short on that opening drive, having to settle for a field goal.

Sean Payton gets ‘Ambushed’ by Bill Vinovich after surprise onside kick

Broncos head coach Sean Payton got “Ambushed” by referee Bill Vinovich after opening his tenure with a surprise onside kick:

You couldn’t script this any better. Sean Payton opened his Denver Broncos tenure with one of the most iconic plays of his New Orleans Saints career — or at least he tried to. Payton called the same “Ambush” onside kick he dialed up to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV for the opening kickoff in Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and at first it worked out. Former Saints kicker Wil Lutz did his job well.

Denver recovered. Players celebrated on the sideline and fans were raucous in the stands. Announcers on the broadcast couldn’t believe the gutsy decision. And then Bill Vinovich emerged.

That’s right — the head referee from the 2019 NFC championship game debacle, who neglected to throw a penalty flag or own up to the mistake that let the Los Angeles Rams get away with a blatant pass interference foul, helping to cost the Saints (and Payton) another Super Bowl berth. Vinovich hasn’t worked a game in New Orleans since that incident, but he was on hand when Payton’s Broncos hit the field.

And he threw the flag this time. Vinovich fouled Denver for an illegal touch penalty on cornerback Tremon Smith, wiping out the would-be onside kick. The Raiders took over inside Broncos territory instead and quickly drove downfield to take a 7-0 lead.

Ouch. Payton took a ton of Saints players and coaches with him this offseason after accepting the Broncos job. But he can’t take the playbook with him.

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Referee Bill Vinovich’s crew assigned to work Chiefs-Buccaneers game

The #Chiefs pulled Bill Vinovich and his crew for Week 4’s Sunday Night Football game against the #Buccaneers.

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14-year veteran NFL referee Bill Vinovich has been assigned to officiate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to Football Zebras.

Vinovich last officiated the Chiefs’ AFC championship game loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. That crew called four penalties on the Chiefs and just two penalties on the Bengals. He also officiated two big wins for the Chiefs last year, Week 1 against the Browns and Week 10 against the Raiders. Fans will likely recall that Vinovich was also the referee during the Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers. Overall, the Chiefs have a 10-5 career record in games where Vinovich has been the referee.

Vinovich has always had a reputation for letting player play and his crew’s penalty count is indicative of that this season. They’ve called the fewest penalties in the NFL through three games with 20 total penalties, but seven of those penalties were dismissed leaving the total at 13.

False start (4) and delay of game (3) are the only penalties that have been called more than once by this crew. They’re very consistent at letting receivers and defensive backs play with only one offensive pass interference call and no defensive pass interference calls on the season.

This should be a game where we don’t see any game-altering penalties like the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Chris Jones at the end of last week’s game.

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Don’t expect aggressive secondary play to be penalized in the AFC Championship game

Bengals fans are understandably hot about two missed pass interference calls, but referee Bill Vinovich isn’t the guy to call them.

Bengals fans were pretty apoplectic after what appeared to be two instances of pass interference in their team’s second drive of the day. With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, Joe Burrow misfired to Tee Higgins in the end zone for what looked like at least defensive holding on defensive back Rashad Fenton…

and there was this aggressive coverage by Charvarius Ward of the Chiefs on Ja’Marr Chase.

For better or worse, neither penalty was called, and given the crew chief in this game, that should not come as a surprise. The NFL puts together “all-star” crews for the playoffs, but you can roll with referee tendencies regardless, and in this case, defensive backs will be allowed to play their games all the way.

In the 2021 regular season, per NFLPenalties.com, referee Bill Vinovich called just four defensive holding penalties, tied with Brad Rogers’ crew for the league’s lowest. Brad Allen’s crew led the NFL with 15 such flags.

Pass interference is something you’re not going to see called a lot, either. Vinovich called just 12 pass interference penalties in the regular season, also the league’s lowest. Shawn Hochuli, no doubt as part of his commitment to constant face time, had the most DPI flags with 24.

It’s not ideal to have this much variance between referees and crews, but as long as both defenses are allowed to be similarly aggressive, it’s as fair as it’s going to be.

NFL referee home team winning percentages for Week 12

Here is a look at the winning percentages for NFL referees in 2021 as Week 12 kicks off.

The NFL and Thanksgiving go together like turkey and dressing. With three games on Turkey Day once again, it will be a Thursday chock full of pigskin.

The following is a list of each NFL referee’s home team winning percentage heading into Week 12 of the 2021 season. The assignments are according to Football Zebras while the stats are proprietary to this author.

Adrian Hill’s crew kicks off Week 12 with the Chicago Bears visiting the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Shawn Hochuli has the Raiders-Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium. Brad Allen finishes off the night with Buffalo at New Orleans.

Scott Novak and Tony Corrente have the week off.

NFL referee home team winning percentages for Week 11

Here is a look at the winning percentages for NFL referees in 2021 as Week 11 kicks off.

The NFL season is beyond the halfway point and about to enter the homestretch as Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

The following is a list of each NFL referee’s home team winning percentage heading into Week 11 of the 2021 season. The assignments are according to Football Zebras while the stats are proprietary to this author.

Land Clark’s crew kicks off Week 11 with Thursday Night Football between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Carl Cheffers has the Sunday nighter between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers. Craig Wrolstad finishes off the week with the New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.

Brad Allen and Adrian Hill have the week off.

NFL referee home team winning percentages for Week 10

Here is a look at the winning percentages for NFL referees in 2021 as Week 10 is underway.

The NFL season is always exciting by the time November hits and Thanksgiving is in the air.

The following is a list of each NFL referee’s home team winning percentage heading into Week 10 of the 2021 season. The assignments are according to Football Zebras while the stats are proprietary to this author.

Ron Torbert’s crew kicks off Week 10 with Thursday Night Football between the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. Bill Vinovich will handle the AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. Shawn Smith concludes the week with the Los Angeles Rams at the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

Alex Kemp, Carl Cheffers, and Clete Blakeman have the week off.

Bill Vinovich’s family reflects on NFCCG no-call: ‘Those people in New Orleans are nuts’

Bill Vinovich is infamous for the 2018 NFC Championship Game no-call against the New Orleans Saints, and now he gets to work Super Bowl 54.

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Bill Vinovich is not well-liked by New Orleans Saints fans. He was the referee in charge of the 2018 NFC Championship Game between the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams, and was at fault for the infamous defensive pass interference no-call that helped cost the Saints a trip to Super Bowl LIII; the Rams advanced instead, and were beaten so badly they failed to reach the postseason at all the following season.

Vinovich is a third-generation referee who has worked NFL games for 15 years, while also officiating Division I college basketball games. While he’s barred from speaking to the media as an active official, his father discussed the measures taken to protect Vinovich and his crew after they botched the game of the year.

“It was a scary situation,” Billy Vinovich told USA Today’s Josh Peter, “They had them sneak him out of the hotel and put him in another hotel and change their flights and get them out of town by 6 in the morning. The cops stayed with them all night. Those people in New Orleans are nuts.”

Obviously it’s a shame that Vinovich and the other officials should have ever had to fear for their safety, but at the same time it’s important that actions (or conscious non-actions) deserve consequences. And so far, Vinovich hasn’t faced any. He’ll be officiating his third Super Bowl in five years when the Kansas City Chiefs kick off against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. The most he’s had to do in publicly addressing failure in the workplace was calling it “A tough situation,” during his induction speech at the Midland Sports Hall of Fame in July 2019.

That frustration — of Vinovich getting off scot-free from what could be a fireable offense in other industries, along with his superivisors at the NFL offices in New York — is something Saints fans aren’t able to do anything more to alleviate. They’ve thrown public parade protests and made blindfolded referee costumes a popular sight at gamedays and Jazz Fest, but Vinovich’s presence in Miami wearing a white cap sends one tone-deaf message: Get over it. And that’s going to resonate with Saints fans about as badly as you’d expect.

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Michael Thomas reacts to Bill Vinovich getting assigned to Super Bowl LIV

Saints WR Michael Thomas was amused when referee Bill Vinovich was assigned to Super Bowl LIV, just a year after the NFC title game no-call.

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A year ago, Bill Vinovich’s officiating crew was at fault for the worst no-call in NFL history, missing a blatant instance of defense pass interference during the NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. The botched foul helped cost the Saints a Super Bowl berth, drew a private apology from the league office, and prompted offseason rules changes that have had mostly-disappointing effects.

Vinovich’s failure also dominated the news cycle, made worse by a pathetic showing by the Rams in the Super Bowl that caused many fans and observers to wonder if the wrong team made it that far. To add insult to injury, the Rams didn’t even qualify for the playoffs the following season.

Which is where we are now — in a postseason that’s seen Vinovich receive the honor of helping officiate Super Bowl LIV, his second title game assignment (he previously worked Super Bowl XLIX). His “all-star” crew will be made up of umpire Barry Anderson, down judge Kent Payne, line judge Carl Johnson, field judge Michael Banks, side judge Boris Cheek, back judge Greg Steed and replay official Mike Chase.

Saints coach Sean Payton has taken aim at the dangerous use of these randomly-shuffled officiating crews for playoff games before, but his warnings have fallen on deaf ears.

Choosing the most infamous referee in recent memory to take on a game of this importance sends a conflicting message, to say the least. And one recipient of that message was Saints wideout Michael Thomas, who brought the jokes, wondering if Vinovich is equipped to even signal fouls when needed.

“Oh no,” Thomas wrote from his official Twitter account, “he don’t even own any flags (to throw). Let me stop,” he laughed, pulling back before he could get himself into trouble. Vinovich’s pockets were empty when Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman interfered with Tommylee Lewis once before; it’s fair to ask if he’ll be willing to call a clean game again in such high-leverage situations.

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