The last time we caught up with old friend Jon Burton (formerly of WTAE-TV) on the “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, it was mid-August.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were getting ready to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 of the preseason, and Burton was covering it for News Channel 5 in Nashville.
They were projected to be a team that would probably be within a game of .500 in either direction, maybe second best in the AFC South and a borderline wild-card contender.
It was believed that Ryan Tannehill may unseat Marcus Mariota as the starting quarterback. And it appeared if they got a healthy season out of running back Derrick Henry and some rookie production from A.J. Brown, they might scratch their way into the playoffs.
Well, that’s exactly what happened.
What no one was saying back in August was that Tennessee would potentially drive the final nail into the coffin of the New England Patriots dynasty on Wild Card Weekend.
That may have just happened, too. Now, after vanquishing the Evil Empire from Massachusetts, they look for another major upset against the AFC’s top seed — the Baltimore Ravens.
Those two clubs match up on Saturday night in Maryland in the second round of the postseason. Jon previews the game for us. He also tells us how the Titans put it all together against the Patriots. We discuss the impact of former Steeler Mike Vrabel as the head coach. And we kick around the idea of Tom Brady potentially being the quarterback in Nashville next season.
We also examine the Nashville Predators’ hiring of former Penguins assistant John Hynes as the team’s new head coach, the strange Bonnaroo concert lineup, and Jon’s potential return for the Def Leppard concert in August.
