The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to ESPN’s projected contracts for Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold and Tee Higgins. Is Tee Higgins more attainable than we originally thought? Will Russell Wilson get another high paying contract? We also react to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler prediction of Aaron Jones signing with the Broncos this offseason. Should the Broncos pair a veteran like Jones with a young running back in the draft? The Nuggets are back on national television tonight as they take on the 76ers and look to get back on track after losing three straight games. Has Michael Malone made a mistake by keeping Russell Westbrook in the starting rotation instead of Christian Braun? Was Joe Sakic involved with the Mikko Rantanen, or does it solely fall Chris McFarland’s shoulders? Should/will the Avalanche hang Mikko Rantanen’s jersey up in the rafters of Ball Arena?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil redraft the 2024 NFL rookie class. Would Bo Nix have made it to the 12th pick knowing what we know now? How many players would the Broncos have preferred over Nix if they had their pick of the litter? It’s Friday, which means it’s time for us to compete in trivia against the morning show. Will we be able to “run up the score” after the morning show went 0-4, earlier today? We wrap up the show with a victory lap after trivia and remembering the John Elway’s second Super Bowl victory on it’s anniversary.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys breakdown the Broncos running back room and if Jaleel McLaughlin will be back with the Broncos in 2025. What went wrong with Audric Estime and why was he inactive during the wildcard round? Zach questions if Bo Nix will get the guys together and host a passing camp this offseason. Phil shares what he gained from quarterbacks hosting the skill position players during the summer to gain chemistry and comradery. What do the guys make of the Nuggets losing to the Knicks, which is starting to become a trend when the Nuggets play top tier teams in the NBA? We hear from Nuggets coach, Michael Malone and his thoughts on why he decided to insert Aaron Gordon back into the starting lineup and moving Christian Braun back into a bench role.

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue their conversation on the decision for Nuggets coach, Michael Malone to bench Christian Braun instead of Russell Westbrook. Zach gives his thoughts on why Malone made the decision he did. We pivot to the Broncos as there are rumors of Garrett Wilson being available via trade. Should the Broncos be in the market for this young, proven and soon to be free agent wide receiver? Today’s “Three Count” features the Utah Hockey Club leaving their future name up to the fans, federal prosecutors are investigating Terry Rozier for manipulating his performance for gambling reasons, and the accusations around Justin Tucker. Zach and Phil share what rules they would like to be changed in the major sports. Could we see microchips in the football coming soon?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue their conversation about what changes they would like to see in sports. Does the NFL need to fix their kickoff rule again? Does the NBA need to move back their three-point line? Zach questions if Bo Nix will host a passing camp with his skill position players like Peyton Manning used to during his time in Denver. Is the narrative around the Mikko Rantanen trade starting to shift as more information comes out? We hear from Paul Bissonette and his thoughts on Mikko taking a big risk by not re-signing with the Avalanche and preferring to hit free agency. Did Mikko and his agent overplay their hand and think they had all the power in the dynamic until the Avalanche decided to trade him? After the Nuggets lost their third game in a row, should we have concerns about the Nuggets championship potential? How can the Nuggets solve their defensive woes vs top tier teams in the NBA?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil discuss how the Broncos should use their first-round pick and if there are any positions that are off-limits. Would the guys trade the Broncos first round pick for the Jets’ Garrett Wilson or is there a better option out there? Will Petersen of DenverSports.com, joins the show to discuss the NBA potentially changing their game time from 48-minutes to 40-minutes. What other rules around sports would the guys like to see changed? Does the NBA need to change their rules to decrees the amount of three-pointers we see? Does college football need relegation? We wrap up the show with the debate of who is the “bad guy” in the Mikko Rantanen trade. Zach, Phil and Will are on very opposite sides of the debate. Was there more time to try and negotiate an extension for Rantanen to stay in Denver?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Will Petersen. The guys recount the times they went up against highly talented players in high school and the guys that should have made it big time but didn’t for whatever reason. Zach shares who he thinks could be the Broncos “Joker” role in 2025. Is there a sleeper in the draft that could be a “do-it-all” player? Are the Nuggets in store for their biggest test of the season, tonight in New York? Do the Nuggets still need to make a trade to round out the roster and add depth? We hear from Avalanche GM, Chris MacFarland and his thoughts on a Gabe Landeskog return as well as the depth of the team. Did a potential Landeskog return impact the Avs decision to trade away Mikko Rantanen?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if Patrick Surtain will take snaps on offense after he came out in an interview and threw out the idea. Is Surtain playing on offense, too much of an injury risk? We pivot to the Broncos draft and debate if the Broncos should trade up in the draft for an elite tight end or running back. Will Sean Payton and the Broncos front office be aggressive to get “their guy” on draft night? Today’s “Three Count” features a clue that means Russell Wilson could be on his way to the Las Vegas Raiders, De’Aaron Fox wanting to be traded to the San Antonio Spurs, and Bill Belichick suggesting the Lombardi Trophy should be renamed after Tom Brady. Has the Shrine Bowl practices, proved that Shilo Sanders does not belong with draft prospects? The guys react to Coach Prime’s thoughts on teams and the media negative reports on players during the draft process.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to NBA commissioner. Adam Silver throwing out the idea of shortening NBA games from 48 minutes to 40 minutes. Would shorter games create a better product for the NBA? Is less basketball coming at the expense of basketball fans? Zach shares who he thinks will be Sean Payton’s “joker” next season. Can a rookie running back come in a be the difference maker for the Broncos offense by lining up at multiple positions and be a “do-it-all” guy? We pivot to the Avalanche as the guys speculate if a Gabe Landeskog return played a role in the Avs deciding to trade away Mikko Rantanen. We hear from Avalanche GM, Chris MacFarland and his thoughts on a Landeskog return and if it is imminent. The Nuggets are in action tonight on national television as they take on the New York Knicks. Is tonight’s game the Nuggets biggest test of the season?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to Patrick Surtain’s comments about wanting to take snaps at wide receiver. Could we see Pat Surtain catching passes for the Broncos offense this season? We have breaking news as Aaron Gordon is returning to the Nuggets starting lineup in exchange for Christian Braun to come off the bench. Is sending Braun to the bench right as he was playing the best basketball of his career the right move? We return to the Broncos as the NFL draft is on Broncos Country mind. Should the Broncos be aggressive on draft night and be willing to trade up in the first round, to get “their guy”? Zach and Phil react to the videos of Shilo Sanders getting “cooked” during Shrine Bowl practices. Does Shilo deserve to be drafted or on an NFL roster/practice squad? We wrap up the show with what the guys learned in Denver sports today.