When the game’s done, Shawn is on! Following Rockies, Avalanche or Nuggets games, Shawn Drotar hops on early with Nick and Cecil to begin Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s postgame discussion. Shawn then sticks around until midnight to provides Denver’s best independent and unbiased analysis. He loves interacting with The Fan listeners on the phones or via text and serves as a pulse of the fanbase every single evening, relying on over 25 years of discussing Denver sports in radio, print and television. Listen live weeknights from 10p-12a.
Shawn opens Hour Three digging into his grievances with the RB rotation and narratives from Monday night. He highlights one of the big positives of the night: the evolution of Russell Wilson's game on display from the jump. He hears from both coaches, reacting to Lovie Smith's comments about the jump from Week 1 to Week 2 and he lays out some things to look forward to in the team's second outing. He listens to some of Hackett's comments about execution and he counters that by pointing out some of the too-cute play calls. He also reacts to some of the bravado coach-speak that Hackett has been using, wondering if the coaches have learned their lesson. He goes over the big news of the NBA and he questions if the time fits the crime. He closes out the show highlighting some of the lowlights in Colorado sports: the college teams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Shawn opens Hour Two breaking down the fallout in the Broncos' schedule after their bad opening loss in Seattle. He is joined by Denverfan.com's James Merilatt to discuss his article about training camp today. He breaks down the road ahead of the Broncos and what benchmarks they need to hit before the bye. He actually provides a lot of positive signs that the Broncos showed despite their loss. He gives his thoughts on Hackett's press conference yesterday and the way it was covered. Shawn discusses the state of special teams and the team in general as a very green team. Lost in the excitement for the Broncos, the reigning champion Avalanche made a sneaky good signing the other day, what does this mean for the team? Shawn breaks it all down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Shawn opens the show solo once again voicing his concerns over Nathaniel Hackett's press conference yesterday. He listens to Mike Evans' take on it from early this morning and dives into the decision and how the coaching staff needs to handle this loss going forward. He raises the concern that the players might turn against Hackett if he doesn't handle the fallout the right way. But it's not all doom and gloom, Shawn takes some time to point out some of the positives we saw out of the season opener. He closes out the hour discussing the loss of Justin Simmons and what that means for the Broncos in their early stretch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three discussing the necessity of humility in a coach, especially after a bad loss or a slow start, Sandy and Shawn didn't see any of that in Hackett's presser today. They give us the opportunities to hear the conference in question in full. They highlight just how shockingly bad the decision to try the field goal was by tossing it over to the guys on Pardon the Interruption. The guys let another national voice elaborate just how bad the clock management was from the season opener. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two taking calls from the listeners wondering what else the Broncos could have possibly done on the last play. They are joined by Denverfan.com's Will Petersen to get his take on Brandon McManus' remarks after the game and the implications of that. He worries about the constitution of the coaching staff in light of the comments from all involved. They ask him if there is any possible way to make the season opening loss right. Sandy and Shawn take a look-see at the text line and react to some of the takes they see from the listeners. They close out the hour taking another call from a listener about the late game management in the season opener. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show going off on Nathaniel Hackett's decision to go for a 64 yard field goal after hearing from the man himself today. They raise some concerns about the way Coach Hackett has responded to scrutiny after a night to reflect on the decision. They revisit the full quote from Coach Hackett's press conference today and they want to stress that he didn't say what everybody thinks he said. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn wrap up a Broncos postgame show giving us the turning point of the game before they are joined by Denverfan.com's Senior Broncos Writer, Andrew Mason, to get his take on the disappointing loss. They take calls from all around Broncos Country. they conclude the show by laying out the ramifications of this loss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn continue to break down what went wrong in the Broncos' season opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They take calls from some frustrated fans to get their takes. they are joined by Denverfan.com's Rachel Vigil to help them break it all down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn come on air on the heels of the Broncos' deflating 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks to open the season. They give their instant reaction to the ugly affair and they vent along with the rest of Broncos Country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three making their picks for the rest of Week 1 on the eve of the first weekend of the ‘22 season. Are there any upsets in the cards? How will all those juicy revenge games go? How will the AFC West fare with the Chargers and Raiders squaring up in Week 1? Sandy and Shawn break them all down. But let's not forget that there is a full weekend of football in the NCAA and NFL ahead of us, Sandy and Shawn close out the show previewing how all three universities will fare tomorrow night. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two discussing Russ' confidence and process that goes into playing at his level before they are joined by our Denver7 Broncos Insider, Troy Renck, to get an injury report for what seems like too many key players on the Broncos. He gives his two cents on the Henderson article and Pete Carroll's unbecoming comments ahead of Monday night's tilt. He breaks down the RB situation and rotation between Melvin and Pookie. Sandy and Shawn give their official predictions for the Broncos in their very first game of the new era. They break down the keys to the game that will allow the Broncos to leave Seattle with a W. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show with Sandy presenting us with a crazy QB stat heading into the meat of Week 1 that might just be an encouraging sign for Russ and the Broncos. They are joined by The Fan's Senior Broncos Writer, Andrew Mason, to get his take on how the Broncos will handle the high emotions in Seattle. The guys ask him about the Broncos' hampered key players and the plan for them. He breaks down how he believes the Broncos will defend against the Seahawks offense. Sandy and Shawn listen to the coach talking about his very first game in charge and they're not convinced he's as confident as he says. They close the hour giving us an injury report for the team heading into the weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three going over the season opener again, highlighting the new issues the Rams are facing. They discuss what this game now means to Russ and the Broncos now before they get Denverfan.com's Jake Shapiro to get his thoughts on the matter. He lays out just how important it is that the Broncos make a huge statement in their season opener on Monday night. He predicts what we'll see out of Coach Hackett in his first ever game as the head cheese of a football team. Shawn thinks that Pete Carroll's comments could jump start the Broncos if the team channels that energy properly, the question is: Do they have the leaders who know how? They close out the show with Greg Olsen's story about the Seahawks passing over Ken Dorsey, the guy who calls the offense that just demolished the reigning champs, and they break down the flaws in Pete Carroll's style of football in today's NFL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two talking about the media savvy that Russ displayed today after the Henderson article. They are joined by CBS4 Denver's Justin Adams to discuss the war of words that is taking place between Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson. The guys ask him if his view of the game has changed after the cross talk that's happened, his view of Pete Carroll certainly has. Sandy and Shawn discuss a couple of departures from the Broncos coaching staff this past offseason and they debunk a lot of the misconceptions about Vic Fangio's prowess. Coach Hackett was asked about the game plan a few days ago, did that plan change after today's war of words?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show reacting to the Buffalo Bills' absolute demolition over the defending champion Rams. They brooch the subject of Von Miller's stellar night off of the edge for his new team. They cover some issues that seem to have been exposed on the Rams' roster and they wonder if these are long term issues. They dive into just how dominant the Bills were in their season opener and just how dominant this Bills team can be this year. The bar has officially been raised for the entire league after seeing the Bills tonight. What chance do the Broncos stand in their quest for the Lombardi? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three hearing from Brock Huard's appearance on The Drive telling us about his knowledge of the Henderson article and why the Seahawks didn't feel comfortable signing him. He dished on a particular college visit that really riled up Russ and his camp a few years ago. They listen to Brock's famous Linda story to see how the Seahawks fans soured on Russ and they debunk some of those arguments. Brock thinks the boo birds will be out in force against Russ despite what some of his former Seahawks teammates think, Sandy and Shawn discuss how this will affect the Broncos' new QB. Sandy and Shawn bookend the show talking about Emmanuel Sanders' case for the Ring of Fame in comparison to many other Broncos greats. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two looking at the Vegas odds for the Broncos season opener at the Seahawks. They are joined by Denverfan.com's James Merilatt to get his take on a very notable article written about Russ and the Seahawks' divorce. He believes that the article is mostly fair, but there is one part that he takes issue with. There's at least one national talking head picking the Broncos for the playoffs and Russ for MVP, Sandy crunched the numbers and calculated Russ' chances to win the award. If Russ does have an MVP season this year he'll need a great year from one of his young WR's, will Jerry Jeudy finally turn promise into production?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show reflecting on the career of one of the most underrated Broncos in their history, Emmanuel Sanders, who retired as a Denver Bronco today. They give us an opportunity to hear some of what Emmanuel had to say on the way out about his legacy, his influence on Sutton, and why now was the right time to hang them up. They talk about the NFL season kickoff tomorrow night before looking into the Broncos chances to make the playoffs. The Athletic simulated the NFL season one hundred thousand times, how did the Broncos fare in their program?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three staying on top of the Regis situation before diving into the key matchups for the Broncos' key season opener on the road against the Seahawks. Which matchups are the guys keeping their eyes on? Which head-to-heads are the most important? They break down the absolutely instrumental role that Billy Turner plays for the Broncos season. Lost in the excitement of the 2022 season on the horizon, the WNBA playoffs are going on and there are a couple of Colorado connections taking part, could the Nuggets take advantage? The Broncos voted on their team captains today but are there too many? Does it matter?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two issuing an important warning to the listeners out there before diving into the questions we have to ask about the season opener. They are joined by Denverfan.com's Will Petersen to discuss the divorce between Russ and the Seahawks. He gives his thoughts on the importance that the Broncos win their first two games of the season. There's a prominent writer that is heavily doubting the Broncos and the AFC West, the guys get the point he's trying to make but is he right? On the other hand, another prominent writer… still has the Broncos missing the playoffs. What would this mean for the team if this prediction came true? Sandy and Shawn break it down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show previewing the Broncos' opponents and the keys to their season coming up as the beginning of the season looms. First up are the Seahawks, the guys preview the Broncos' season opener on the road against the Seahawks and they hear what Coach Hackett had to say about their first foe. They hear from a couple of national guys predict how the Broncos season will turn out and they make their own predictions. The major college football teams both had themselves a bad weekend, which one was worse? Which program is in the most dire straits? How does CU and CSU work their way through their issues? Sandy and Shawn discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three speculating whether or not the Rockies will manage to notch 100 losses for the first time in their history. Then they pick up from where they left off continuing to put the Broncos pass rush under a microscope to determine what a realistic sack total for them is this season. They are both skeptical that the rotation of Chubb, Gregory, and Browning will combine for 20+ sacks. They elaborate why George Paton has found success where John Elway and the previous regime fell short. The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams, are they on the right track? Will it be here anytime soon? Sandy and Shawn dive into it. Sandy and Shawn close out the week with a postmortem for the CU Buffs… before their first game is even over.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two highlighting the philanthropic efforts of Tyler Polumbus before gauging Sandy's confidence that the Broncos will make the playoffs. They are joined by our Denver7 Broncos Insider Troy Renck to examine what Russell Wilson's new contract extension means for the team and the rest of the league. He breaks down the Malik Reed trade, what went into it and the risks of it. He looks at the schedule and determines what the Broncos' record needs to be before the bye. Sandy and Shawn discuss the LeBron-like influence Russ seems to have within the Broncos, questioning if that's such a bad thing. They close out the hour reacting to the sad, sad effort put forth by the CU Buffs in their season opener and the mind boggling QB rotation that Karl Dorrell is using. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show reacting to the futility of the CU Buffs in their season opener before moving on to greatness as they discuss Serena Williams' final match. They wonder if Serena is actually finished with the game, if she could possibly make a comeback, and they discuss her legacy. They are joined by The Fan's Senior Broncos Writer, Andrew Mason, to get his thoughts on Serena's legacy. He breaks down Russell Wilson's brand new megadeal. They three of them return on the heels of a bad, no good, terrible play from the CU Buffs before Mase lays out how much easier George Paton's job is now that Russ' deal is done. He assesses the pecking order of the AFC ahead of the season. Mase stays on for one more segment to wrap up the Andrew Mason hour with an article about Russ from our sister station in Seattle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three talking about the advantages that the Broncos have in store, from the fact that they have the QB position figured out to the last place schedule that they have for 2022. They preach patience before passing judgement on the coaching staff early in the season, both good and bad. They listen to Mike Evans defend his Russ contract take and they sound off on the ideas that the Broncos had any leverage or the deal wasn't already predetermined. They close the show out by giving kudos to the Nuggets for bringing a familiar face back to the fold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two discussing the big news of the day and the expectations for the Broncos before they are joined by CBS4 Denver's Justin Adams to get his expectations for the team now that the Russ era is set. He breaks down the numbers of the deal and what that means for the Broncos going forward. He does temper some expectations for the Broncos though, pointing out the lack of proven high level performance on the roster. He gives us a prediction for CU's season opener against TCU. Sandy and Shawn hear from the man of the hour talk about his goals for his tenure with the Broncos, a part of that is keeping and luring players, can Denver be a destination again? Russ got a big juicy contract sure but it's also very team friendly and it's also very league friendly. Sandy and Shawn break down why the Walton's just got even more popular. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show hailing Russell Wilson's brand new megadeal to the high heavens, comparing it to Nathan MacKinnon's old deal. They explain why the Broncos might just be the sweethearts around the NFL right after today. Shawn lays out what Wilson needs to do over the course of his new contract in order to go the way of Tom Brady instead of Peyton Manning. Now that Russ is locked up ‘til the big 40, the guys look at all of the elite talent spread out around the Denver sports teams and they wonder if Denver sports are entering a golden age. Sandy gives the odds for all of the elite players around town to make their respective Halls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy opens Hour Three talking about the Broncos' floor in light of The Athletic's projections for each team before hearing from the Coach talk about the role special teams played in roster cuts and Jonas Griffith's status for Week 1. Sandy goes to the text line to get some of the listeners' takes and predictions for the Broncos record this year. He also gets a comment disputing his take about Serena Williams from Hour 1, does the listener make a point? He disputes a texter's take on cutting Sam Martin after the former Punter signed with the Bills today. He also responds to the same texter comparing the Malik Reed trade to Shaq Barrett. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy opens Hour Two discussing whether or not it matters that no cut Broncos players were picked up on the waiver wire. The Athletic wrote an article projecting expected wins for each NFL team, how did the Broncos and the rest of the AFC West fare? Does Sandy think they got it right? Sandy is joined by Denverfan.com's James Merilatt to get his take on the Punter battle, from debunking the money argument to the Buffalo incident. He gives a pretty long-sighted take on the Malik Reed trade. Justin Simmons let us know who his breakout teammate is this year, does Sandy agree? He reflects on all of the different training camps he's been to over the years and how this past camp compares to days gone by before speculating on what the Broncos are scheming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy flying solo opens the show reveling in Yacht Rock Hump Day before discussing the Broncos practice squad and IR situations. He hears from George Paton's comments yesterday about the way Coach Hackett has handled the preseason and discusses whether there's a method to the madness. He talks about Serena Williams' throwback performance tonight at the US Open. Sandy goes over the team's initial 13-man practice squad and he breaks down the team's health situation on the line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three reviewing their projections for the Broncos' final roster from last night. Which picks did they get right? Where did they guess wrong? Which player surprised them? Sandy and Shawn break down the Broncos' (initial) final roster. They hear from the GM talk about keeping players around on the practice squad and the possibility that the Broncos may not be done adding yet. The Broncos certainly had talent at receiver before the preseason but now they have something they were lacking before, Sandy and Shawn break down what this element means for the Broncos. They close out the show projecting the Broncos practice squad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two with Shawn painting to some of the guys on the roster who can grow into true star players. Sandy disputes some of Shawn's points before they are joined by Denverfan.com's Jake Shapiro to get his take on the way the Broncos have built their roster. They discuss some of the interesting maneuvering that Paton and Co. have been doing during the final cut downs. He gives his thoughts on the Brandon Johnson situation and the rest of the young depth receivers. He gives his take on the Malik Reed trade to Pittsburgh. Something Jake said got Shawn thinking about the trade market and the increasing savvy of NFL front offices. The Broncos aren't ignoring Special Teams anymore, in fact, it seems that Dwayne Stukes has a whole lotta say in the organization. Sandy and Shawn break down what that means for the Broncos.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show recapping all of the news surrounding the final round of roster cuts for the Broncos. They are joined by Denverfan.com's Will Petersen to get his thoughts on his guy Josh Johnson losing the job to Brett Rypien. He gives his take on the Brandon Johnson situation. He gives his take on the Malik Reed trade and what that means for the organization going forward. Sandy and Shawn give their thoughts on Brett Rypien keeping his spot on the Denver Broncos as Russ' understudy. They break down the disappointing return for Malik Reed, the Broncos' leading pass rusher over the last few years, but they understand and elaborate why he was shipped out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three going through the Broncos roster position by position and they project the final 53 as if they were in charge. Who do they agree on? Where do they disagree? Shawn makes a redaction on his projections for the final roster, there's a guy he wants to bring on to back up Russ. They look at the dynamic on special teams now that the Broncos have parted ways with Sam Martin, will there need to be further changes? Will the Broncos need an adjustment period after making the changes?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two running down the list of cuts the Broncos made today and one cut makes them reflect on the sorry state of the O-Line. They are joined by CBS4 Denver's Romi Bean to get the inside scoop on the conclusion of the Broncos punter battle. She tells us her read on the end of the backup QB competition. She speaks on the improved depth of the team with cuts coming up now that the team actually has some backups worth keeping. Sandy and Shawn run through the young WR's on the roster (for now) and they determine who's in and who's out. There are some guys who stood out on Saturday night, the question is: did they play their way onto the final roster?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show breaking down the early cuts that Paton and Co. have already made. They believe Sam Martin lost his job after the Buffalo incident, but that doesn't mean that Corliss Waitman's job is safe. They debate about the state of the Broncos' backup QB competition. They give their thoughts on a huge NFL QB plot twist over in San Francisco and what that means for Week 3. They discuss whether or not the injured guys on the roster will get a chance to stay on with the Broncos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three examining the culture at Dove Valley, has the Broncos culture actually changed for the better under the new coaches? Sandy takes issue with the way that the coaches were running things in training camp, running it like the team hasn't been losing the last 5 years. Shawn explains the exact problem with the way the Broncos have been running their practices. The Rockies found yet another way to lose tonight to the Mets but, as it happens, they still got a W by shutting down the worst fan in baseball. So that's worth something, right? They give us one final preview for the Broncos' preseason finale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two breaking down the (backup) QB competition, can Rypien play himself into a spot on the team or does the Broncos' brass have their minds made up? They are joined by our Denver7 Broncos Insider, Troy Renck, to get his thoughts on all of the question marks around the roster for the Broncos' final preseason game. He details the problem with Albert O's arrested development in the grand scheme of the offense. He gives us his thoughts on KJ Hamler playing in the finale. He reviews Drew Lock's job-losing performance in the Seahawks' preseason finale and what that means for the Broncos in week 1. The Broncos have some tough decisions coming up at the wide receiver position, Sandy and Shawn predict who stays and who goes. An old friend lost his job to Geno Smith, how does that affect the Broncos season opener in a couple weeks? Sandy and Shawn break it down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show previewing tomorrow night's preseason finale for the Broncos, which players and which positions to keep your eyes peeled for. They discuss how the Broncos' special teams need to look for the preseason finale. They are joined in studio by The Fan's senior Broncos writer, Andrew Mason, to give his thoughts on how many roster spots are actually available to play for. He weighs in on all aspects of the Special Teams, from Stukes' potential to guessing who his core guys on teams are. They all commend the people at Coors for putting the most hated fan in baseball in his place before Mase tells us all about the frustration level of the coaching staff. He breaks down Drew Lock's performance in the Seahawks' preseason finale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Three listening to the coordinators face the music. They hear DC Ejiro Evero's frustration with his unit's effort from Saturday morning's drubbing against the Bills. Their man crush on Dwayne Stukes, the Special Teams Coordinator, grows as they hear him honestly address the kickoff coverage and possible input on personnel. Nikola Jokic and Giannis went head to head today for a chance to make the World Cup, Sandy and Shawn absolutely gush over both stellar performances and what it means for the NBA. They close out the show projecting Russ' stat line and they see how much of an improvement he'll be over the QB's of Broncos past. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open Hour Two talking about the arrested development of Albert O through camp and the preseason before they are joined by CBS4 Denver's Justin Adams to get his thoughts on Albert O's blocking. He gives his thoughts on the backup QB competition, who he wants to win and who he thinks will win the gig. Sandy and Shawn discuss what kind of game Brett Rypien needs to keep his place on the team. A very prominent hockey writer is hearing that Mackinnon could reset the market, another one thinks that number could blow McDavid's out of the water, will the Avs pull the trigger on it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sandy and Shawn open the show reviewing one of their future opponents' shaky performance in their preseason finale and what that means for the early going of the season. They break down who will win the Broncos' backup QB competition. They discuss whether or not this last preseason game will actually mean anything for the roster overall. The offense had a poor practice yesterday but it's getting a little late to have poor practices isn't it? The guys discuss if this is a cause for concern. ESPN released their power rankings and the Broncos were ranked 12th! That's good right? Not so fast, Sandy and Shawn break down the AFC gauntlet ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.