The Drive

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.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys breakdown the wild world of college football. Could Colorado get in the College Football Playoff over some higher profile SEC teams? Phil analyzes the Broncos running back room after Sean Payton shook up the carriers for each back. Will we get an answer at running back this season or will it be a worry the rest of the season? If the Buffs win out the rest of their regular season, could Coach Prime be in the running for coach of the year? Has what Deion has done in Boulder the most impressive coaching job in America? How will Val Nichushkin’s welcome back to the Avs be handled? Will Ball Arena give Val an ovation? How will his fellow teammates welcome him into the locker room?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil review the Broncos loss vs the Chiefs and what it means to the Broncos playoff hopes. How does the result of the Broncos and Falcons game affect the Broncos playoff probability? Will the Broncos be able to “get up off the matt” and bounce back at home? Zach brings up an interesting situation in which the Chiefs could be playing for an undefeated season when they come to Denver at the end of the season. Phil answers what the Broncos need to do in the final 7 games for a Broncos playoff push. Can the Broncos stay healthy to finish the year? Today’s “Three Count” features a CU and CSU gambling feat, a coaching change in Chicago and how that effects Caleb Williams, and Chet Holmgren’s major injury. We finish up the hour with our hot takes from the week. Can Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter go first and second in the NFL draft?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown the Avs after their overtime win last night. Has Georgiev solidified himself as the Avalanche’s starting goaltender? We hear from Avs coach, Jared Bednar and his thoughts on Georgie’s bounce back. Can Nathan MacKinnon win the Hart Trophy and become the 12th player to ever win the award in back-to-back seasons? Would the guys trade Mikko for Sidney Crosby? Zach and Phil analyze the Broncos running back room and where they stand after Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. We saw a shakeup with how many snaps each saw, does Phil expect Audric Estime to get a bulk of the carries going forward? What will the welcome for Val Nichushkin look like on Friday? Will the crowd cheer when his name is announced? How will his teammates welcome to the locker room differ from Avs fans? We read from the text line and what the Avs fans think of Val’s return.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil ask if Coach Prime will be up for the coach of the year award. Zach speaks to how graceful Prime has been this season after “getting punched in the face” last season. Who would be Prime’s competition for the award? DenverSports.com’s Senior Broncos writer, Andrew Mason joins the show to discuss his takeaways from the Broncos gut-wrenching loss, if the Broncos will make a change at offensive line, and how impressive Nik Bonitto has been this season. Did Bo Nix outplay Patrick Mahomes this past Sunday? How important will the Broncos and Falcons game be for the Broncos legitimacy and playoff hopes? DenverSports.com and host of the Mile High Hockey podcast, Will Petersen joins the show to discuss the Broncos playoff probability. We wrap up the show with Will’s thoughts on Val Nichushkin’s return to the Avs.