The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the CU Buffs game this Saturday as they host Kansas State. What did Coach Prime have to say about facing his old player in Dylan Edwards? Will Kansas State continue their struggles coming out of a bye week? The Avs goaltender struggled in their season opener, how big of a question will Georgiev be for the Avalanche this season? Could we see Vance Joseph be honored with the NFL’s assistant of the year? DenverSports.com’s James Merilatt joins the show to discuss the looming Mikko Rantanen and Avalanche contract extension, will the two sides get a deal done? Phil disagrees with James’ take that this weekend’s CU game is the biggest game in Colorado football in a decade.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate which team between the Buffs and Broncos have surprised the guys more. Both the Buffs and Broncos had the same win total going into the season and are on pace to exceed their expectations. Which coach has surprised Zach and Phil more? We give credit to Coach Prime and how he talked about Dylan Edwards after Edwards left the program last offseason. Will Petersen, of DenverSports.com, joins the show to discuss the Avalanche goaltender, Nathan MacKinnon’s effort, and a potential Mikko Rantanen contract extension. We wrap up the show with more details of the report of Mikko Rantanen and his agent shutting down contract extension talks with the Avs.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss Colorado football and the importance of Saturday’s game vs Kansas State. What is on the table for CU if they can pull off a win? Zach and Phil question when the Broncos will get production from their tight ends? Phil wants to see the Broncos make a trade for a veteran tight end in Mark Andrews. Will the Broncos be willing to give up draft assets for a tight end? We are hours away from the puck dropping on the Avalanche season, what are the guys expecting from the Avs tonight? What stuck out to the guys when Avs GM addressed Val Nichushkin? Zach and Phil react to the NBA’s GM survey. Where did Jokic rank among the best centers in the NBA? How many votes did the Nuggets get for predictions to win the title? Where did Jokic rank among players to win MVP?  

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil question why Marvin Mims is not getting used more for the Broncos. After a season where Sean Payton said he wanted to utilize Mims more, why has Mims’ touches not gone up? How can the Broncos be more creative and design plays to get the ball in Mims hands? We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on Jim Harbaugh and the Broncos running game. Today’s “Three Count” includes would the guys prefer Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh and the NFLPA wanting reporters out of the locker room. The guys preview Colorado’s football game as they head into their biggest game in the Coach Prime era. How did Deion Sanders spend his time during the bye week? Zach tries to create some controversy around Deion leaving town before Phil shuts it down.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil assess the Broncos tight end production. How can the Broncos jump start the position? Could we see the Broncos trade for a veteran tight end like Mark Andrews? We have breaking news as Spencer Rattler has been named the starting quarterback for the Saints while Derek Carr is injured. What do the guys make of a rookie QB most likely facing the Broncos in 2 weeks? Zach thinks that the Broncos might have been interested in Spencer Rattler had Bo Nix been off the board when the Broncos drafted. Pat Surtain was honored with AFC Defensive Player of the week, making him the 5th Bronco to be named the award multiple times. The guys react to the NBA’s GM survey. What are the biggest questions around the Nuggets as they look for a bounce back season?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if the Broncos originally wanted Jim Harbaugh to be their coach before hiring Sean Payton. We hear from Sean Payton and his take on the other coaches he was competing with when he was going through the hiring process. DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to discuss the health of the Avalanche, the young players on the Avs second line, and the Mikko Rantanen extension. Could this be Rantanen’s last season in an Avs sweater? What should fan’s expectations be for the Avalanche, especially early in the season? The guys preview CU’s game against Kansas State this upcoming weekend. How did Coach Prime spend the Buffs bye week? What can the Buffs learn from their victories? We wrap up the show with predictions for the Avalanche season. When will we see Gabe Landeskog suit up for the Avs this season? How does the season end for the Avs?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss the MLB playoffs and the future of Coach Prime in Boulder. Does Prime have a lifetime contract at CU? Zach and Phil give Vance Joseph his flowers for his great defense since the second half of last season. Will Vance get another head coaching opportunity if he can keep this up? With just over 24 hours before the puck drops for the Avalanche’s season opener, we preview the Avs season. What are Zach and Phil looking for most? Will the Avs have an improvement by their goalkeepers? Can Nathan MacKinnon follow up his MVP season? Could we see Shedeur Sanders pull an Eli Manning and dictate where he gets drafted to in the NFL? What are the top destinations for Sanders to get drafted to?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil examine the playoff odds for the Denver Broncos. How have the odds changed from their 0-2 start to now winning three in a row and moving to 3-2? What are Sean Payton’s current odds to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year? The new projections predict the Broncos to finish with a 9-8 record, would the guys take a 9-8 record from the Broncos or take their chances at a better record? Today’s “Three Count” includes a historic 2-man Heisman race, the New York Jets firing head coach Robert Salah, and the Avalanche season starting tomorrow. Zach shares the details of a new super league proposed for college football. Could we see an even bigger changes come to college football than we’ve seen in recent history? Would a 70-team super league be good for the sport?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil discuss the “green lights” the Broncos have got this season including injuries from the Buccaneers, a missed field goal from the Jets, and more injuries to the Raiders. The Broncos will have another “green light” after we have breaking news that Saints’ QB Derek Carr will miss time with an injury. It’s a hot take Tuesday, Zach and Phil share their hot takes for the season. Could Pat Surtain win the NFL’s defensive player of the year? Could the Avs be in a wild card race with a playoff spot on the line late into the season? Can Russell Westbrook be the 6th man of the year? We finish up the hour with a debate if Shedeur Sanders could pull an Eli Manning and dictate where he gets drafted to in the NFL. Will this be a new trend for highly regarded prospects that are now making money playing college football?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown the Broncos playoff probability. What would a win on Sunday vs the Chargers mean for their playoff chances? The new projections have the Broncos at a 9-8 season, would the guys take that record, or would they risk going for a better record? Although the Broncos offense has had struggles, how much credit does Sean Payton deserve for the overall success of the team? DenverSports.com’s Broncos writer, Andrew Mason joins the show to discuss the spat between Bo Nix and Sean Payton, Troy Franklin, and Greg Dulcich. We wrap up the show with what the guys learned today in Denver sports. What does a win on Sunday vs the Chargers mean for the Broncos season? Now that we know that Derek Carr will miss time, should the Broncos be expected to win their Thursday Night Football matchup vs the Saints in two weeks?