This made me chuckle.

WFAE sets out to a do a straight-up economy and NFL blackout story, and gets comments from the league office and the Jacksonville Jaguars — but the hometown Panthers go mute, opting not to be interviewed for the piece.

That’s dumb, guys. You are not fooling anyone. Fans who understand how the League — or in Hurney-ese “The Lig” — operates know that Jerry Richardson is the lock-out ringleader, leading by the example of a low-rent payroll and a lame duck coach. They know that DeAngelo Williams already has one foot out the door, snubbed as he has been by Carolina’s unwillingness to extend him with a Patrick Willis-like deal. They know the only way the Panthers get around a blackout at some point this season — absent winning, natch — is if the team itself buys up tickets.

Most of all, fans know when they look around the stadium and see empty seats and opposing jerseys.