The Drive

Welcome to a Friday edition of The Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! 

The Colorado Avalanche are finally getting healthy and whole again. With the return of big Val Nichushkin what is the team saying about his return? Will he talk to the media after the game? There is a great sign coming from the Denver Broncos offense. Devaughn Vele looks like a great football player. What does he change when he is on the field and how can Denver look to incorporate him more? The CU Buffs are on a big stage this weekend. What has the talk been like coming from both camps? The Denver Nuggets return to action! What are we expecting to see tonight given that their best player AND coach won’t be available for this game? Who needs to step up on the Nuggets, all that right before the Five O’clock whistle.

Welcome to a Friday edition of The Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay! 

The Denver Broncos host the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. What challenge do the Broncos have facing this version of the Falcons? Darnell Money and Drake London are going to be a handful how should the Broncos look to shut them down? We’re joined by Chris Harris Jr. What did he think of that brutal loss to the chiefs? What kind of QB is Kirk Cousins and what does the think of the No-Fly Zone reunion? The rivalry continues, the morning show gives the Drive some trivia questions. A big weekend of Colorado sports the guys give their predictions and close out another edition of The Drive!

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss Russell Westbrook’s athleticism and past NBA players that declined quickly after losing their athleticism. Are we witnessing a star being born in Nik Bonitto? Zach shares Bonitto’s stats and why Bonitto has a bright future in Denver. What is Phil looking for from Bonitto? The guys question if Val Nichushkin will speak to the media before taking the ice tomorrow in his season debut? What would the guys want to hear from Val? After a slow start, the Nuggets are rolling. The guys breakdown the highs and what has impressed them from the Nuggets. What is real and what’s not from this Nuggets run?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the praise Bo Nix received from Kansas City Chiefs’ stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Do compliments from these NFL stars mean anything? Zach shares a rookie stat that Bo Nix can hit for the first time since Peyton Manning did it. Today’s “Three Count” features CSU and Wyoming continuing to play their rivalry game into the future, Zach’s problem with the Nuggets new city edition jersey, and the Buffs opponents’ QB and how it relates to Denver. We hear from Coach Prime and his thoughts on the future of the Buffs. Will Prime stick around and coach after his “sons” have left? Will CU be able to secure a commitment from one of the highest rated high school quarterbacks in the country?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil ask if the Avalanche have made it through the tough part of the season while missing players due to injury. With multiple players returning from injury, should the Avs be smooth sailing now? Are the early goals the Avs give up a reason to be concerned? Are watching a star be born in Nik Bonitto? Will Bonitto be able to get after an immobile QB in Kirk Cousins this weekend? The guys question if we will hear from Val Nichushkin prior to his season debut tomorrow night. Does Val owe a statement to Avalanche fans? Will the Avalanche organization force Val to speak to the media tomorrow?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the upcoming Broncos and Falcons game. Will Bo Nix be able to take advantage of a poor pass rush for Atlanta? Zach shares a rookie stat that Bo Nix can reach for the first time in the NFL since Peyton Manning’s rookie season. What do the guys make of the compliments paid toward Bo Nix after his performance, last Sunday? Do compliments from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce mean anything for Bo’s success? Zach makes the case for why Sean Payton is to blame for the Broncos loss in Kansas City. Will Coach Prime stay in Boulder after this season? Will the Buffs be able to land a commitment from star high school QB, Juju Lewis?  We wrap up the show with what the guys learned today in Denver sports. Will Val Nichushkin speak to the media tomorrow? Would the guys throw their hats on the ice for a hat trick?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss the Nuggets allowing KCP walk in the off season and how the new CBA affects the NBA going forward. Was Nuggets ownership being cheap of was GM Calvin Booth forward looking with his decisions? The Broncos have a big decision to make on Garrett Bolles and Zach and Phil breakdown Bolles’ time in Denver and what the Broncos will do with him in free agency. How important is Bolles to a young QB in Bo Nix? Phil shares a story about Garrett Bolles and standing up for his fellow offensive players. Justin Simmons will make his return to Denver but not in a Broncos uniform, how will he be received by Broncos Country?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to a comment Coach Prime made in a press conference, yesterday. In defending his offensive coordinator, Prime took a shot at the Broncos. How does Phil feel about Prime’s comments? We hear from Coach Prime and his thoughts on the positive narrative around the Buffs this season. The guys make the case for why Prime is built to be a college coach and has his biggest impact on growing young men, not pro’s. Today’s “Three Count” includes the popularity of Bo Nix’s jersey sales, the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul boxing match, and Drew Lock getting an opportunity in New York. The Avs are back in action tonight, will Georgiev be in net for a 4th straight game? How will the players returning from injury help? Why are the Avs waiting to play Val until Friday when his getting reinstated today?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown the “rookie wall” in the NFL. Phil walks us through what a whirlwind it is for rookies from the end of their college season to the end of their rookie season in the NFL. Which rookie Bronco is most likely to hit their “rookie wall”? The Broncos have a big decision to make for the future of the left tackle position in Denver. Will the Broncos bring back Garrett Bolles in free agency or draft his replacement in next year’s draft? Phil tells a funny story about his time in the locker room with Bolles. Coach Prime took a shot at the Broncos while defending his OC, Pat Shurmur. Phil respects Prime defending his guy but takes exception to blaming the Broncos offensive players. The guys give both coordinators at Colorado their flowers for doing a great job this season, despite being skeptical going into the year.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil hear from Sean Payton and Justin Simmons on Simmons’ return to Denver as a Falcon. Phil shares about his return to Mile High but in a Colts jersey. Will Justin Simmons get a tribute video before or during the game on Sunday? We hear from Justin Simmons and his thoughts on the return. We pivot to the Broncos and how they are responding to the heart-breaking loss. We hear from Quinn Meinerz, defending Alex Forsyth. DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to discuss the Broncos gut-wrenching loss. Were there more positives than negatives to take away from the game? We wrap up the show with Patrick Mahomes compliments for Bo Nix after the Broncos and Chiefs game and Val Nichushkin’s return to the ice on Friday.