Not that Redskins fans in North Carolina need any more fuel to the fire regarding a dislike for the Carolina Panthers, the team that took their Skins off local TV 18 years ago, but North Carolina fans of the Redskins missed the ending of the big season-opening win over the Saints and a career-opening win by starting QB Robert Griffin III.

With the Redskins ahead 33-25 and 3:23 still left in the game, Fox studio announcer Curt Menefee interrupts the game announcer Kenny Albert who had just said, “the Redskins take over…” Menefee says “Due to NFL obligations we’re going to take you from the completion of that game…” Then he said, “We’re going to get you out to kickoff of your late game right after this.”

Then, on the Fox affiliate in Raleigh/Durham, they proceeded to run advertisements for Southwest Airlines, Suzuki automobiles, Ruby Tuesday restaurant, Time Warner Cable and Fox50. During those three minutes or so before going to the Panthers-Buccaneers game (which didn’t kick off right away), the Redskins scored a touchdown. Considering that the game had run longer than most of the 1 p.m. games and since there were plenty of opportunities for commercials (you know how the NFL loves to show commercials both right before and right after kickoffs and there were plenty of kickoffs in this game), you’d think that enough commercials had been shown.

Except for the Charlotte area Fox stations, I would argue that other TV affiliates should stay with the game people have been watching all afternoon, especially since the outcome was still in doubt. There were 14 more points scored in the Redskins-Saints game after Fox took the viewers away to commercials and then the start of the Panthers game. There was even a Hail Mary pass at the end that was intercepted at the end zone which could have tied the game and forced overtime.

Certainly, Fox stations should at least stay with the game as long as possible, which means switching directly from the Redskins-Saints game to the kickoff of the Panthers-Buccaneers game. No three or four minutes of commercials, no pregame analysis of the second game, nothing – just the kickoff. If they aren’t willing to do that, then the NFL should build in more cushion between the times of the first game and the second game.

These are prime examples of why the NFL needs a fan advisory committee with some clout or either, as much as I dislike the abuse of power from most unions, the fans need a union just as the players have a union.

For those of you newer to the Triangle area, you might not know about the history of the Redskins in North Carolina. Briefly, the Redskins were on local radio for more than 50 years and on each week on local TV for more than 30 years. In addition, Redskins players used to make appearances in North Carolina during the offseason to sign autographs and help sell cars at dealerships, for instance. Many Redskins fans don’t even know that the words to the fight song originally ended with “Fight for Old Dixie” and not “Fight for Old DC.”

The NFL and the Redskins cultivated North Carolina as Redskins country. The people bringing the Panthers to Charlotte specifically named them “Carolina” instead of “Charlotte” in order to stake a claim to fans throughout the wide state of North Carolina and all of South Carolina as well. They also fought to be placed in the NFC rather than the AFC because, in part, they knew if Redskins fans could continue to watch their team on another over-the-air station, their ratings would suffer. After all, football fans east of Raleigh can get to DC as quickly or quicker than they can get to Charlotte. I know it’s quicker to DC from my native city of Rocky Mount. By the way, the Fox affiliate at the Crystal Coast of North Carolina stayed with the end of the Redskins’ game and picked up the Panthers’ game in progress. I supposed the “NFL obligations” circle doesn’t extend to the beach.

I would argue that if the Panthers had been placed in the AFC and the Jaguars in the NFC instead, the Panthers would have more fans east of the Triad and the Triangle. The Panthers could have been Redskins’ fans second favorite team, for instance. Tampa Bay fans got it better than Redskins fans because those between Tampa and Jacksonville could still watch the Bucs on Fox and the Jaguars on CBS. There are probably lots of people in Florida who like the Bucs or Jaguars as their second favorite team. There probably aren’t many Redskins fans who like the Panthers as their second favorite team – and after Sunday’s “NFL obligations” to the “home” team of Carolina (which still means “Tar Heels” to most people), that probably won’t change.