The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to Avs superstar Nathan MacKinnon and coach, Jared Bednar discussing Gabe Landeskog. We have a rough timeline of when Landeskog will return. We down a rabbit hole of athletes to miss multiple years and then come back to play, can Landeskog be the next example? Zach and Phil preview the Broncos opponent this weekend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Who are these Bucs and Baker Mayfield? The injuries are piling up for Tampa Bay, will the Broncos be able to take advantage of an injured Bucs team? How are we feeling about the Buffs as they enter Big 12 play this weekend? Is Coach Prime feeling encouraged by a strong offensive line performance against CSU? We finish up the hour with how the Avalanche can become a multiple time champion with this core and if it rides on Val Nichushkin being available.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos. What improvements are the guys looking for in week 3? How can the Broncos lean into the trend around the NFL of running the ball against these deep defensive looks? The guys react to ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s suggestion that the NFL should outlaw 2 deep safeties. DenverSports.com’s Andrew Mason joins the show live after an afternoon in the Broncos locker room to discuss what he learned today, the Broncos running game, and much more. Will the Broncos offense lean into going up tempo? We wrap up the show with what Zach and Phil learned today. When are we expecting a Gabe Landeskog return?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Will Petersen. The guys discuss the upcoming Nuggets and Avalanche seasons that both begin in less than a month. Outside of Bo Nix and Sean Payton, which Broncos have been the biggest letdown? Can Quinn Meinerz and Pat Surtain prove they are worth the top-notch contracts they signed this off season? We are seeing something in Colorado sports that we’ve never seen before and probably won’t ever see again. How long can Travis Hunter keep up being so dominant on both sides of the football? Will Hunter play on both sides of the ball at the next level? Zach and Phil take a look at the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame class, which players with a Broncos connection are on the list and what are their chances of being inducted next fall?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to an article detailing the New Orleans Saints simplifying their offense after the departure of Sean Payton. Is Payton’s offense too complicated and too wordy for the young players of the Broncos? How can Payton simplify his own offense whether it’s running the ball more or using less personnel groups from play to play? Today’s “Three Count” includes Shedeur Sanders explaining the postgame non-handshake with CSU’s quarterback, Bud Black becoming the Rockies all time win leader, and a Woj bomb of Adrian Wojnarowski retiring from ESPN to become a college basketball GM. CU’s conference opener on Saturday could be a wet one, or maybe not according to Coach Sanders.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the Avalanche season as today is media day for the team. Will hear about Val Nichushkin and how will the Avs locker room welcome him back? Will we get an update and more accurate timeline on Gabe Landeskog’s injury? The guys share who on the Broncos have been a pleasant surprise to them. Will the Broncos defense be able to continue their strong play? We turn to the CU Buffs and the amazing season Travis Hunter is having. Will Hunter be in New York for the Heisman trophy ceremony? How long will Hunter be able to play both ways? Could he do it at the next level, in the NFL? We take a look at the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees with connections to the Broncos. Which Bronco will be the next member of the Hall of Fame?  

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil assess the Broncos offense through two games. Zach lists the many reasons why the Broncos have come out the gate slow. Sports Illustrated’s, Albert Breer, details the complicated nature of Sean Payton’s offense and wordy play calling. What can Sean do to make the offense more digestible for his rookie QB and young offense? Will Petersen of DenverSports.com joins the show live after Avalanche media day. Will shares what he heard about Val Nishushkin rejoining the team, an update on Gabe Landeskog’s health and Nathan MacKinnon’s focus after receiving the Hart Trophy and Lindsay Award. We wrap up the show with what Zach and Phil each learned today in Colorado sports.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Will Petersen. The guys discuss the Broncos chances of making the playoffs and reminisce on teams to start slow out of the gate and still make the playoffs. How can the Broncos fix their penalty problem? Is it concerning that Pat Surtain has been flagged an excessive amount to start the year? With Baron Browning and Mike McGlinchy going down early, will the Broncos depth be able to step up? Will the Broncos be able to repeat their injury luck from a season ago? Zach and Phil react to CBS Sports ranking Nugget’s coach Michael Malone being ranked in the “middle of the road” tier. Is Malone a great coach or just Nikola Jokic’s coach?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into Bo Nix’s struggles to start the season. What is the root cause? The guys look back at the way the Broncos treated training camp and Nix not getting the bulk of the reps. Was Nix too risk adverse in preseason to the point he didn’t get to practice throwing the ball down the field? Did Sean Payton add too pressure to Bo Nix by bragging to the national media? Today’s “Three Count” includes the viewership of the Rocky Mountain Showdown, the University of Tennessee adding a “talent fee” to their ticket prices to give it to players, and Air Force potentially on the move to join the American Athletic Conference. The former 1st overall pick from a year ago has been benched in Carolina, is it Bryce Young’s fault or the Panthers organization? Could Denver be the next “toxic” team for quarterbacks to avoid?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil share their hot takes for “Hot Take Tuesday”. Will Sean Payton have a new quarterback rehab project next season? Will the Broncos have a running back rush for 100 yards in a game? How can the Broncos limit their penalties after a flood of them in the first two weeks? Are the guys disappointed in Pat Surtain’s start to the year, racking up 5 penalty flags? Are the Broncos due for a more injury prone season after having one of the healthiest teams in the NFL just a year ago? CBS Sports ranked Nugget’s coach, Michael Malone as the 15th ranked coach in the NBA. Will this add extra motivation to Malone this season? What does Coach Malone have to do to be considered a better coach around the country?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil assess Bo Nix’s start to the season. Were the guys expecting better from Bo even though he’s a rookie? How can Sean Payton be more creative with limited weapons and a limited ability to run the ball?  We resist Zach and Mark Schlereth’s beef over Bo Nix’s reps during training camp. Did Zach end up being correct in saying Nix should have had more reps off the rip over splitting with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson? Did Sean Payton’s national media hype create too many expectations for Bo Nix? How will Colorado fare in the new Big 12 this season? Is Baylor a must win for the Buffs? We wrap up the show with CU’s declining interest based on the viewership numbers from last weekend, Bryce Young getting benched in Carolina, and Air Force potentially changing conferences.