The Drive

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss their concerns about the Nuggets bench and their reasonable expectations for non-Jokic minutes. Will the Nuggets be as hungry of a team as they were in 2023? DenverSports.com and new host of the Mile High Hoops podcast, Jake Shapiro joins the show to preview the Nuggets season. How do the guys rate the Nuggets offseason moves? Can the Nuggets make up for the loss of KCP in aggregate between Christian Braun and Michale Porter Jr.? Zach, Phil and Jake debate what the Nuggets will need from Jamal Murray this season? Is a poor regular season worth having a fully healthy team come playoff time? Is it fair to ask Jokic to carry the Nuggets to a high seed during the regular while Murray gets to coast till the playoffs? We have breaking news for the Denver Broncos, wide receiver, Josh Reynolds was involved in a shooting, last week. Zach reads from the reporting from 9News and shares all the details from the incident.

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue to react to the breaking news of a shooting involving Josh Reynolds. Zach shares all the details we have to this point. 9News Broncos insider, Mike Klis, joins the show to share his insight of the Josh Reynolds situation. We shift gears to Nuggets as they get ready to tip off their season tonight vs the Thunder. DenverSports.com’s Jake Shapiro speaks to the Thunder’s depth and what challenges OKC brings to the Nuggets. How will the Nuggets and Jamal Murray in particular fare with the NBA’s adjustments to the rules with how physical defense can be? Jake gives us his birds eye view of the Nuggets season and his outlook for the whole NBA.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and John Davis cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss if the Broncos will blowout the Panther this upcoming Sunday or are we overlooking Carolina? Dover shares why he is out on the Broncos trading for Cooper Kupp. Phil and John continue their conversation on Kupp, should the Broncos consider bringing in Cooper Kupp? Would Kupp be able to succeed with a rookie quarterback? The guys react to the news that Andy Dalton will not be able to start for the Panthers after his car accident. How does facing Bryce Young change the challenge for the Broncos? Will Sunday be a “stat padding” day for the Broncos defense? Will the Colorado Buffaloes get ranked if they can beat Cincinnati this upcoming weekend? John and Phil speak to the positives of CU and how they are building throughout the season. Should Colorado win-out the rest of their season?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Phil and John Davis breakdown Bo Nix’s growth this season. What do the guys want to see from Bo to show growth? Will Bo be able to clean up his footwork problems we’ve seen to this point in the season? How sustainable is Bo Nix’s running game and why John sees it differently than when Tim Tebow relied on his legs. Has Sean Payton put the Broncos offense in a good enough position to be successful? The Avalanche have bounced back after an 0-4 start to win 3 games in a row. Do we have a controversy for the Avs starting goalie position? The guys debate if the Broncos should be buyers at the trade deadline. John advocates to ride with the young talent on the Broncos roster over trying to bring in veterans. Would trading for Cooper Kupp send a message to the Broncos locker room that they are in it to win this season?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil and John Davis examine the remaining schedule for the Colorado Buffaloes. Has Coach Prime “shut up” the haters with what he’s doing on the field and coaching a good football team? Could the Buffs win out going 10-2, and still miss out on the college football playoffs? Could the attention that Coach Prime brings help the Buffs get into the playoffs as a tie breaker? Do we have a goalie controversy building for the Colorado Avalanche? Will the backup goal tender feel more pressure if he was propelled into the starting role? How will the Broncos defense fare vs a struggling and previously benched QB in Bryce Young? John makes the case that the Broncos have not earned the right to be expected to win big in any NFL game.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and John Davis have a heated debate over whether college football or the NFL is better. John makes the case for the NFL and the quarterback play while Phil is on the side of college football. Does the College Football allow the best team to win the championship? Are NFL defenses too good and make the lack of scoring, boring? DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to discuss Will’s time in Pittsburgh for the Steelers and Jets game. Will gives his thoughts on the college football vs NFL debate. Have the Avalanche officially made a change at goaltender? What’s the latest on Val Nichushkin’s situation with the NHL and when could he be back in an Avs sweater? Is Broncos Country overlooking the Panthers? Should we expect another blowout in favor of the Broncos?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss the outlook for the season now that Aaron Gordon and the Nuggets have agreed to a contract extension. Is the Nuggets best still good enough to win a championship? What other teams in the NBA are the biggest threats to the Nuggets? Zach and Phil breakdown Gordon’s new deal and give him his flowers for taking a small discount to stay in Denver and have the opportunity to win another championship. Is Zach concerned about Aaron Gordon’s age by the end of his contract with the Nuggets? We look at the updated odds for the Heisman trophy, is Travis Hunter still in the mix despite missing parts of the last two games? We hear from current Heisman favorite, Ashton Jeanty and his thoughts on himself and Travis Hunter. Zach responds to the morning show and their disappointment in Michael Porter Jr.

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if style points should matter in the Broncos game vs the Panthers. Are the Broncos overlooking Carolina in their upcoming game? Phil warns Broncos Country that any team in the NFL can win on any given day and cites examples of when he’s beat teams when they were massive underdogs. Can the Broncos finally have a great game at home? Should the Broncos be interested in trading for Cooper Kupp? Is Kupp on the Broncos timeline and would he help Bo Nix’s growth? Today’s “Three Count” includes a potential Courtland Sutton trade, Lebron and Bronny James taking the court together in an NBA game, and Tua wanting to play football again. Who will be a hotter head coaching candidate at the end of the football season, Vance Joseph or Robert Livingston? Which defensive unit has been more impressive, the Broncos or Buffs?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the Nuggets and Aaron Gordon’s contract extension. The guys love the extension and believe it keeps the Nuggets championship window open for the next 4 years. How will Gordon age into this new extension and is Zach worried about Gordon losing his athleticism by the end of the deal? Between Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray both receiving contract extensions, which deal has the opportunity to age more poorly by the end of the contracts? We have breaking news of Panthers QB, Andy Dalton being involved in a car accident. The reports are that Dalton is ok and is expected to play, but did the game just become more of a “must win” if the Panthers have to play Bryce Young? We have projections for the Colorado Buffaloes and their bowl game. Are the guys happy with the Buffs projected Bowl or looking for more? Are we in store for Michael Porter Jr.’s best season of his career?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the Broncos “most winnable game” on their schedule this season. Is Sunday a “must-win” for the Broncos? Phil warns Broncos Country about assuming a win and how teams can’t show up unprepared to a game and expect to win. How does Bo Nix compare to Drew Lock in his rookie season? DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to discuss which defensive coordinator in Colorado will have the best chance to become a head coach, between Vance Joseph or Robert Livingston. Will the Broncos route the Panthers this upcoming weekend or is Broncos Country overlooking Carolina? We wrap up the show with Zach making an announcement about the future of the Mile High Hoops podcast and tonight’s Avalanche game.