The Drive

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and Richie cross talking with Aniello and Danny. The guys discuss CU at media today and who should be the starting quarterback for the Buffs this season. Is there reason to be concerned with Jokic’s decision to not sign a contract extension with the Nuggets this offseason? Is Jokic keeping his options open or making the right financial decision?  We react to Maurice Jones-Drew’s power rankings of NFL running backs. Where did RJ Harvey come in on the lost and do the guys have a problem with his ranking? Is Jonas Valanciunas looking for the Nuggets to guarantee his 2026-2027 salary?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Phil and Richie react to Jonas Valanciunas’ comments on potentially being a member of the Nuggets. Is Valanciunas not appreciating the opportunity he has of playing on an NBA championship contender and playing with the best player in the world? What are Valanciunas’ priorities when it comes to him wanting to play in Europe instead of the Nuggets next season? Today’s “Three Count” features the MLB using the ABS system for challenges in the All-Star game, Abdul Carter having a very interesting signature, and TSA announcing they will no longer require passengers to take off their shoes while going through security. We react to Coach Prime’s comments from Big 12 media day today. What should the expectations be for the Buffs this season and how will Deion handle his first quarterback competition in Juju Lewis and Kaidon Salter?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil and Richie react to the Avalanche’s poor free agency grade. While the Avs haven’t made many moves regarding their roster, Richie explains why he loves their coaching addition. Richie pitches a trade idea he saw which would send Lebron James to the Nuggets. Would the guys be willing to part ways with Jamal Murray if it meant bringing Lebron to Denver to team up with Jokic? We hear from Michael Porter Jr. and his thank you message to the Nuggets. What do the guys make of MPJ saying “his ceiling had plateaued in Denver”? We react to Coach Prime’s comments from Big 12 media day today. What should the expectations be for the Buffs this season and how will Deion handle his first quarterback competition in Juju Lewis and Kaidon Salter? Will the Buffs be a “better team” even after losing their two stars?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and Richie dive into the Broncos and if Bo Nix will be trending upward this season. How confident are the guys in the Broncos offensive weapons as we head into the season? Is there room for Vele, Harvey, Mims and Franklin to grow into legitimate roles on the Broncos offense?  What is the latest in the Nuggets and Jonas Valanciunas saga? Is Valanciunas’ desire to play in Europe have more to do with a non-guaranteed contract in 2026-2027? What are Valanciunas’ priorities when it comes to him wanting to play in Europe instead of Denver next season? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joining the show to discuss the Avalanche’s offseason moves. With a slow start to free agency, will the Avs still make a splashy move?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Aniello and Danny. The guys react to the Broncos low ranking when it comes to offensive weapons. Will another wide receiver make a jump in their game, or will the Broncos bring in a veteran option at wide receiver? Zach and Phil share their stories from golfing over the weekend and Phil losing his putter on the course. Today marks the first day Jokic can sign a three-year $206 million extension with the Nuggets, but will he sign this offseason or wait a year? With the Jonas Valanciunas situation with the Nuggets still up in the air, we look at alternative options and debate if Al Horford would be a better fit with the roster. With the NFL’s top 100 players list coming out, we debate where Patrick Surtain will be ranked and if he will be the top defensive player.

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos history at tight end since 2015. Will Evan Engram live up to the “joker” role and be the best tight end for the Broncos since Noah Fant? Today’s “Three Count” includes ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum picking Bo Nix as his dark horse MVP, the second season of Netflix’s “Quarterback’ documentary featuring Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins, and what we are watching during this off sports time. We have breaking news as Nikola Jokic will reportedly not sign a contract extension with the Nuggets this offseason. Should Nuggets nation be concerned with the relationship between Jokic and the organization?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to ESPN listing Marvin Mims as a “luxury player”. Has Mims proved himself beyond just a gadget player and should he be considered a true number two receiver? We react to Nikola Jokic reportedly not signing his contract extension this offseason. Is Jokic leaving his options open or waiting for the bigger pay day next summer? What did Jonas Valanciunas have to say about his ongoing situation with the Nuggets?  What can we expect from Deion Sanders at Big 12 media day tomorrow? With the NFL’s top 100 players list coming out, we debate where Patrick Surtain will be ranked. Does Pat Surtain have a chance at winning the defensive player of the year award in consecutive seasons? Will Surtain be ranked as the highest defensive player in the NFL on the list?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos history at tight end since 2015. Will the addition of Evan Engram be the solution the Broncos have been looking for at tight end? Will Engram be able to top Noah Fant’s production from the early 2000’s? We react to the latest with Jonas Valanciunas and the Nuggets. What did Valanciunas have to say about the situation, and could the Nuggets have a better option at back-up big? We have NBA news as Bradley Beal intends to sign with the Clippers after being waived by the Suns. Does this move change the guys’ opinion of the Clippers? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joining the show to discuss Jokic not signing an extension with the Nuggets this offseason and what we can expect from Deion Sanders at Big 12 media day tomorrow.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Aniello and Danny. The guys discuss the ongoing story of Jonas Valanciunas reportedly wanting to return to Europe to play basketball and not honoring his contract with the Nuggets. Will the Nuggets be the “nice guy” and allow Valanciunas to play in Europe? Zach and Phil recap their 4th of July weekend. How bad of a loss would Valanciunas be for the Nuggets’ second unit? We pivot to the Broncos and Zach asks if John Franklin-Meyers is an underrated and underpaid player that the team should be looking to keep in Denver. If the Zach and Phil were the GM of the Broncos, which looming contract extensions would they prioritize?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate which player will have the toughest time getting an extension from the Broncos between Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, Courtland Sutton and John Franklin-Meyers. Is the Broncos defensive line expendable and could we see replacements through the draft and free agency? Will all the extension hopeful Broncos “get fed”? Today’s “Three Count” features the NBA changing their “heave” rule at the end of periods and how it will impact Jokic’s three point percentage, Hunter Goodman being named to his first MLB All-Star game, and the Kevin Durant trade finally being official with a record 7-teams involved in the trade. How important is it for the Broncos to re-sign George Paton as he enters the final year of his contract?