Broncos are focused and determined to win Super Bowl 50

Good evening, Broncos Country.

Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro entertained a myriad of topics in today's Afternoon Drive installment as the Denver Broncos continue to prepare for their heavyweight Super Bowl 50 bout against the Carolina Panthers.

The show featured a plethora of interviews with former Bronco players such as Brandon Stokley and Nate Jackson, as well as discussions with Cowboys' wide receiver Michael Irvin, NFL personality Sean Salisbury and former coach Brian Billick that covered a lot of gridiron discourse.

Catching Up with Brandon Stokley

First and foremost, Goodman and Shapiro brought on former Colts and Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley who offered his thoughts on the resurgence of Peyton Manning and gave insight as to the positive vibes and aura surrounding this years squad who he believes is poised to win the Super Bowl.

According to Stokley, he had various internal discussions with personnel of the Broncos who stated that the team has a much better vibe surrounding them in comparison to Super Bowl 48.  He cited that the teams preparation, diligence and overall approach to this year's game is significantly better than it was against the Seahawks. Moreover, the team is not wound up as tightly as they were versus Seattle and thinks the team has a certain "looseness" that will bode well for their Lombardi Trophy aspirations this Sunday.

Utimately, Stokley has the utmost faith in Denver and believes the team has the focus and determination to earn their third championship.

Michael Irvin lauds Broncos defense, pontificates on Demaryius Thomas

Another major highlight of today's Afternoon Drive was when Goodman and Shapiro talked with Michael Irvin who had positive remarks to make about the Broncos — especially on defense.  Irvin indicated that Denver's defense stood out to him the most and appear to be in championship form.  He quoted his friend and colleague Warren Sapp who always stated, "The tough defense are the ones where the front end and the back end work together." — which is precisely what he believes the Denver Broncos have under the tutelage of Wade Phillips. 

He later went on to give high praise to Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby and proclaimed "I love the way they play the game, I love the way they attack receivers and go after receivers and that is what is going to make it tough for Carolina."  However, Irvin did caution that Cam Newton will have the ability to buy a lot of time with his feet and that the Broncos secondary must be prepared to cover a lot of ground and not just timing routes in order to hold the speed and the tempo of the Panthers' offense in check.

Last but not least, Irvin mentioned that he has talked with receiver Demaryius Thomas frequently over the course of the season and has a close relationship with him. Irvin believes Thomas had a great season, especially with the off-the-field distractions that may have impacted his performance, specifically the situation with his mother.

He relayed to listeners that his message to Thomas was simple: to relax and focus on playing his best game and believes he will be fine in this situation.  Last but not least, Irvin believes a key to the game against the Panthers was for Manning to get in a rhythm early with Thomas to highlight his play-making ability in order to put pressure on Carolina's defense.

If you are interested in catching the rest of the show's interviews with Nate Jackson, Brian Billick and Sean Salisbury, head on over to Mile High Sports' Soundcloud and given them a listen.  They are high quality tidbits and are definitely worth your time this evening.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful rest of your week.