The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil revisit their conversation on who the face of the NBA will be after Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. We hear from Charles Barkley and his thoughts on players having to earn the title of face of the NBA. Could Jokic be the best player in the NBA and still not be the face of the league? We play “Phil in the blank” and Phil says who the best player in the NHL is between Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Is Nathan MacKinnon the best player in the league, although not being the face? The guys react to the rumors of the Ravens cutting their TE, Mark Andrews. Would Andrews be a fit for the Broncos and be the pass catching TE, the Broncos have been looking for? We hear from Nuggets coach, Michael Malone and his thoughts on the approach for seeding in the western conference.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to PFF’s ranking of the top 101 players in the NFL. How many Broncos made the list? And where did the Broncos rank on the list? Which Broncos were overrated, and which were underrated? Where will Patrick Surtain come in when the players vote for the top 100 NFL players? Which Bronco should have made the list and didn’t? It’s Friday and trivia is back as we take on the morning show and look to beat their 2-2 record from yesterday. We wrap up the show with what Zach and Phil are looking for this weekend.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys break down the much anticipated, championship to the Four Nations Faceoff. Will we see fights like we did on Saturday night? Zach explains why he doesn’t like people comparing tonight’s game to the Olympics or Stanley Cups. With the Nuggets back in action, the guys debate how the Nuggets should proceed with their starting lineup. We hear from Nuggets head coach, Michael Malone and his thoughts on the starting five. What do the guys make of the reports of teams being concerned about Shedeur Sanders draft profile? Is Coach Prime’s influence on Shedeur a red flag? Is Shedeur’s lack of size a red flag?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NFL.com’s ranking of the quarterbacks. Where did Bo Nix fall on the list? Who was overrated on the list? Does Jayden Daniels need another season to prove he belongs with the bets of the best? What should a 2025-2026 stat line look like from Bo Nix? And what does Nix need to do to lead his team to the playoffs again? Today’s “Three Count” includes the NFL salary cap taking a huge jump for next season and Victor Wembanyama missing the rest of the season. How will the Broncos be able to take advantage of the rising salary cap? With Carmelo Anthony being a finalist for the basketball Hall of Fame, Zach wonders if this could be the thing that reconnects Melo and the Denver Nuggets? How do the guys feel about the official Nuggets twitter account, congratulating Melo on his accomplishment.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the text-line’s opinions on Carmelo Anthony and how Colorado feels about his time with and exit from the Nuggets. What new NBA award is Jokic the favorite to win this season? Zach questions if tonight will be a huge night for hockey or are we being a prisoner of the moment. Where would tonight rank as a moment for USA hockey? The guys react to the reports of concerns about Shedeur Sanders in the NFL draft, his dad being too involved in the process and if Shedeur’s size will be a problem at the next level. With the Nuggets back in action for the first time since the All-Star break, Zach and Phil debate over who should be in the starting lineup between Christian Braun and Russell Westbrook.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NFL.com’s ranking of the quarterbacks. Where did Bo Nix fall on the list? Who was overrated on the list? Does Jayden Daniels need another season to prove he belongs with the best of the best? Phil gives his thoughts on where Bo Nix should have been on the rankings. What should a Bo Nix stat line look like in the 2025-2026 season? Will Nix still have a high volume of pass attempts? Will we see Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets reconnect as Melo heads toward the basketball Hall of Fame? Will Nuggets nation ever welcome Melo back into Ball Arena? We wrap up the show with the guys giving their five predictions for tonight in sports.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys compare the ratings from the Four Nations Faceoff and the NBA All-Star weekend. How can the NBA reignite interest in their All-Star events? For the first time in over 10 years the Broncos are returning their coach, quarterback, general manager, and ownership, what is possible under this regime? Although we agree that Jokic is the best player in the world, is he the face of the NBA? Could an international player ever be the face of the NBA? We hear from ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith and his thoughts on who will be the face of the league after Lebron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NASA reporting that an asteroid has a 3% chance of hitting the earth in 7 years. What things would the guys want to see in Colorado sports in the next 7 years? Could the Rockies finally win a World Series? Could Jokic win the most MVP’s in NBA history? Today’s “Three Count” features the potential new names for the women’s professional soccer team coming to Denver, what potential, and the University of Colorado bringing in Phil’s old Broncos teammate Domanto Peko to be their defensive line coach. Could we see a reunion between Sean Payton and his former Saints’ tight end, Juwan Johnson? Is Johnson, the impact tight end the Broncos have been lacking the past two seasons, under Sean Payton?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil analyze how impactful it will be for the Broncos being able to bring back their head coach, quarterback, general manager and ownership in back-to-back seasons. We hear from ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith and his thoughts on how an international player could never be the face of the NBA. Does Jokic have a chance of being the next face of the NBA after Lebron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are gone? The guys react to ESPN’s Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft, which predicts the Broncos selecting Michigan’s tight end, Colston Loveland. Would the guys want to see the Broncos bring in a rookie tight end in the first round? Would a rookie running back have a bigger and quicker impact on the team than a rookie running back?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NASA reporting that an asteroid has a 3% chance of striking earth in 7 years. What would the guys like to see in Colorado sports prior to this event in 7 years? Could the Rockies finally win a World Series? Could Bo Nix win an NFL MVP? Could Coach Prime bring a national championship to Boulder? Veteran NFL reporter, James Palmer joins the show to discuss the Broncos ability to return all the import aspects of their franchise in back-to-back years, how much some of these wide receivers will cost in free agency, and how much the Broncos ownership will be willing to spend while Bo Nix is still cheap. DenverSports.com’s Jake Shapiro joins the show to discuss if the higher cap in the NFL could lead to the Broncos signing a top tier wide receiver in free agency and what the name of the new professional women’s soccer team could be named. We wrap up the show with what the guys learned in Denver sports today.