The Drive

Mike Rice and Dante Gomez are in for Denver Sports Tonight. Mike and Dante react to the Devaughn Vele trade from earlier in the week. Are we confident enough in the rest of the Broncos wide receiver room for the Broncos to make a move like this? We preview the Broncos final preseason game this weekend. Has Sean Payton handled playing and not playing the starters the right way? What are we looking for in tomorrow’s game? We wrap up the show with breaking down the Nolan Arenado trade now that the Rockies have waived Austin Gomber.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys recap Zach and Cecil’s debate from yesterday and discuss if Devaughn Vele was in the way of Pat Bryant ascending. We preview the Broncos final preseason game this weekend and debate how much the starters should play on offense and defense. What are the guys looking for from the starters to feel comfortable going into week 1 of the season? We preview the Big 12 as college football kicks off tomorrow with Kansas State taking on Iowa State in Ireland. Where will Colorado finish in an unpredictable Big 12 conference?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil dive into the Broncos final preseason game and the three biggest storylines. Will first round pick Jahdae Barron play after missing practice earlier this week? Could the Broncos “showcase” Jaleel McLaughlin on Saturday to set up a trade elsewhere? Will Troy Franklin finish off his strong camp and preseason with an impressive performance? Today’s “Three Count” features former Bronco Greg Dulcich shinning with the Giants in preseason, the SEC adding a 9th conference game to their schedule as well as requiring their teams to play a high quality opponent non-conference game, and debating how long Russell Wilson will be the starter for the Giants. Our 9News Broncos insider Mike Klis joins the show to discuss if Jahdae Barron will start in week 1, how much the starters will play tomorrow, and much more.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NFL legend Eric Dickerson claiming teams were told not to draft Shedeur Sanders. Phil tries to sell us, but Zach still isn’t buying that the NFL was “blackballing” Shedeur. We go down a rabbit hole of all kinds of conspiracy theories before returning to Broncos talk. We preview the Broncos final preseason game this weekend and what we’re looking for from the starters in the game tomorrow. We preview the Big 12 as college football kicks off tomorrow with Kansas State taking on Iowa State in Ireland. Where will Colorado finish in the Big 12? Who will win the unpredictable conference? What is the ceiling and floor for the CU Buffs in 2025?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos as they head into their final preseason game tomorrow. What are the biggest storylines in tomorrow's game? Who will emerge as the third running back? Will first round pick Jahdae Barron play after missing practice earlier this week? Will Jarrett Stidham continue to light it up and pass the ball all around the yard? We react to NFL legend Eric Dickerson claiming teams were told not to draft Shedeur Sanders. Is Zach finally open to the idea that the NFL “blackballed” Shedeur? We wrap up the show with Zach and Phil sharing their score predictions and bold predictions for tomorrows preseason game.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys get in a heated debate over the Devaughn Vele trade and if Vele has already reached his ceiling as a wide receiver. Do the other wide receivers for the Broncos provide higher upside? Zach accuses the Denver media of switching up their opinion on Vele since the trade. We look into the expectations for Bo Nix in 2025 as far as his passing yards, interceptions, touchdowns and more. Zach and Phil react to Mike Klis’ projected 53-man roster for the offense of the Broncos. Where do the guys agree and disagree with Klis for his roster and practice squad projections?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil listen to Sean Payton’s first comments on the Devaughn Vele trade. Was Payton’s choice to trade Vele a tough decision? The guys speculate who were the other teams interested in Vele. Was Vele ever going to be in Sean Payton’s vision? Will this move come back to bite the Broncos if Vele shines elsewhere? Today’s “Three Count” includes Von Miller calling Peyton Manning his GOAT for changing how the quarterback position is played, the Rockies shelling Shohei Ohtani in last night’s Rockies win over the Dodgers, and the news about bullets being shot into Andy Reid’s office at the Chiefs facility. With Colorado kicking off their season in 8 days, we discuss the Buffs best and worst case scenarios.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach, Phil and the guys compete in our weekly trivia competition vs the morning show. We address the controversy with one of the questions we gave the morning show as we look continue our hot streak in trivia from over the past few weeks. We hear from Sean Payton with his first comments on the Devaughn Vele trade. Were the Broncos shopping Vele or was the compensation too good for the Broncos to pass up? Will Vele be able to have more opportunities and production in New Orleans? Was Vele ever going to be in Sean Payton’s vision? Zach and Phil react to Mike Klis’ projected 53-man roster for the offense of the Broncos. Where do the guys agree and disagree with Klis for his roster and practice squad projections?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue to break down the Broncos Devaughn Vele trade. Were the Broncos shopping Vele or was the compensation too good for the Broncos to pass up? The guys speculate who were the other teams interested in Vele. We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on if the Broncos were shopping Vele, if the location was a part of the trade, and the coincidence of New Orleans being the other team. We react to Mike Klis’ projected 53-man roster for the defense of the Broncos. Where do Phil and Zach agree and disagree with Klis’ projections? We wrap up the show with previewing the Buffs as they kick off their season a week from tomorrow. What would be the ceiling and floor for the Buffs in 2025?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss Shohei Ohtani pitching at Coors Field tonight and how sad it is that the guys have lost interest in the Rockies. Zach throws out the idea of the Broncos bringing in Anthony Richardson to be Sean Payton’s next quarterback reclamation project. Is Richardson a “QB rehab” away from competing for a starting job in the NFL? We look around the league at former Broncos and how they have been doing in preseason, free agency, and other football leagues.