The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil, Richie and the guys compete in our weekly trivia competition vs the morning show. Will we be able to redeem ourselves after a 1-3 performance last week? Richie gives an impassioned speech on the Rockies and how things will never change at Coors Field while their attendance is booming even during one of the worst seasons in MLB history. What would be the price for Dick Monfort to sell the Rockies? While Patrick Surtain is the face of the Broncos defense, we debate who else has the highest ceiling on the defense. Will Nik Bonitto be able to build off his success from last year? Can Talanoa Hufanga return to his all-pro version of himself?  

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and Richie debate who the Broncos number two receiver will be with so many options. Will Troy Franklin and Bo Nix figure out their connection issues we saw last season? Does Pat Bryant have a chance to pass Franklin, Mims and Vele, in his rookie season? We hear from the newly added Nugget, Cam Johnson and his thoughts on what he will bring to the team. Could the Avalanche be in the same position they were just a year ago with Marty Necas looking for a new contract like Mikko Rantanen was? How much would the guys be willing to pay Necas? We wrap up the show with Richie’s idea for who should take the final place on the Nuggets roster.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and Richie cross talking with Dover and Danny. The guys discuss the Broncos running back room, who will be starting, and if it’s best for RJ Harvey to learn from JK Dobbins to start the season. Will 2025 be an even further breakout season for Nik Bonitto? We hear from him and his hunger for going out and being even better than his 13.5 sacks in 2024. We have breaking news as Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt has signed a record breaking 3-year $123 million contract extension. How does Watt’s contract impact Bonitto’s negotiations and could he be a franchise tag candidate? With the college football season around the corner, we dive into CU’s starting quarterback situation. How will the different skill sets of Juju Lewis and Kaiden Salter impact which one gives the Buffs the best chance to win?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Phil and Richie react to both Colin Cowherd and Kay Adams’ praise and high expectations for the Broncos. Could the Broncos go out and win 12-13 games this season? Could Bo Nix be a 4,000 yard passer with the addition of more offensive weapons? CU linebacker Mantrez Walker joins the show to discuss the two quarterbacks in Boulder, what he will be bringing to the Buffs defense and much more. Today’s “Three Count” includes former Bronco Von Miller signing with the Washington Commanders for likely his final team, Shane Gillis taking a shot at Shedeur Sanders for Colorado retiring his number, and Bradley Beal joining the Clippers after getting bought out in Phoenix. After just one season with the 12-team college football playoff, we have discussions about new models and expanding to a 16-team playoff. What format and how automatic bids would help the Big 12 the most?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil and Richie share their one word to describe the Nuggets offseason. We get off the rails with our answers and question how surprised were we by the Nuggets decision to alter their starting lineup? We react to the assumption that RJ Harvey will be the starting running back for the Broncos. Phil explains why he expects JK Dobbins to be the starter at the beginning of the season and we dive into what the expectations should be for Harvey. Is it fair for national media to question the trio of Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton and RJ Harvey? Have the Nuggets become a destination for NBA players again?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and Richie continue their conversation on the Nuggets upgrade from Michael Porter Jr. to Cam Johnson. We react to both Colin Cowherd and Kay Adams’ praise and high expectations for the Broncos. Could the Broncos go out and win 12-13 games this season? Could Bo Nix be a 4,000 yard passer with the addition of more offensive weapons? We revisit our conversation with Trez Walker from earlier in the show and his comments on both quarterback and what they bring to the Buffs. What does it mean that CU brought both quarterbacks to media day? How will the different skill sets of Juju Lewis and Kaiden Salter impact which one gives the Buffs the best chance to win? We wrap up the show with recapping the RJ Harvey signing with the Broncos and what he missed by signing today.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and Richie cross talking with Dover and Danny. The guys discuss ESPN’s ESPYs tonight and which athletes connected to Colorado can take home awards. Phil and Richie dive into the Broncos rookie class as Jahdae Barron officially signed his contract, while RJ Harvey and many other second round draft picks have yet to sign. Is Harvey’s agent standing in the way of him signing with the team and is Harvey handling his situation the right way? We move on to the rest of the Broncos rookie class and debate who will have the biggest impact in 2025. Will Jahdae Barron step directly into a starting cornerback role? Could Caleb Lohner or Jeremy Crawshaw have bigger impacts than many think?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil look at the Terry McLaurin situation in Washington D.C. and question if we could see a similar situation here in Denver with Courtland Sutton. Who is the ultimate loser in this stalemate between Sutton and the Broncos? Will the Broncos be willing to give Sutton a big contract extension before the season starts? How would the absence of Sutton impact the Broncos win total this season? Today’s “Three Count” features recapping the MLB All-Star game and all the features of in game interviews and ball and strike challenges, FOX Sports being interested in hiring Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports to join Big Noon Kickoff, and NFL rookies struggling to locate what state they play in. We look at the Nuggets as they still have one roster spot open. Who would the guys like to see take that spot and is there still a need for a backup point guard?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to pre-training camp power rankings of the AFC west, the AFC and the NFL as a whole. Should the Broncos be ranked ahead of the Chargers after losing to them twice last season? Where should the Broncos rank among the NFL after a playoff appearance? What is RJ Harvey missing from not appearing with the other rookies today and this week? Is Harvey’s agent standing in the way of him signing with the team and is Harvey handling his situation the right way? How is George Paton feeling after the Jets handed out a 4-year, $120 million extension to Sauce Gardner, making Patrick Surtain the 5th highest paid corner back? Will Surtain come back to the Broncos and ask for more money after just signing his extension last off season?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue their conversation on the division between Courtland Sutton and the Broncos. Would Sutton be willing to hold out if he and the Broncos cannot come to an agreement on a contract extension? How would the absence of Sutton impact the Broncos win total this season? We look at the Nuggets as they still have one roster spot open. Who would the guys like to see take that spot and is there still a need for a backup point guard like Chris Paul? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joining the show to discuss the latest on RJ Harvey and many second round picks not having signed a contract yet.