Five Burning Questions: Fireworks from DMac vs. Emmanuel Sanders I

Just a few short months ago, live in the Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan studio, sat “The Drive” co-host DMac and Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

A confrontation for the ages, the show pitted the radio host and the athlete against each other, mano-a-mano, to hash things out for better or for worse.

As things turned out, it was for the better — Sanders will join “The Drive” with Tom Nalen and DMac on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. — but not before some fireworks.

Here are some of the more explosive exchanges from Sanders-DMac part I:

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The opening salvo

Emmanuel Sanders: Finally. Finally. Why did you accept the Tweet? I’ve been trying to Tweet at you for a while like let me come in the studio. How come you waited so long?

DMac: I always said you could come on in.

ES: Finally. Finally. Why did you accept the Tweet? I’ve been trying to Tweet at you for a while like let me come in the studio. How come you waited so long?

DMac: I always said you could come on in.

ES: Did you?

DMac: I think so

ES: How come you just now set it up though? I’ve been trying to set it up. Why did you take so long? I mean, I’m not coming out firing or anything. I just wanted to ask the question.

DMac: Why are you here?

ES: I mean, I’m here because I want to know what’s your problem? I feel like everybody wants to know. Like, what’s your problem with me? Like, there was a situation where you sit back and said, “The Broncos should cut Emmanuel Sanders. You said that I’m a cancer in the locker room.”

DMac: I did not say that.

ES: You definitely said that I was a cancer in the locker room. Have you ever said that the Broncos should cut Emmanuel Sanders?

DMac: I probably said that.

ES: And you said it’s something about my personality or the way that I carry myself … It’s not my play on the field.

DMac: It’s not your play on the field.

ES: No, you said it was because of who I am as a person that they should cut me, right?

DMac: That is correct.

ES: And, so, that’s pretty much saying I’m a cancer in the Broncos locker room.

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Seeking an apology

ES: Obviously, so, you don’t have a problem with me anymore, right?

DMac:  Not really, no.

ES: So, you changed your mind on me?

DMac: Yeah.

ES: OK, we’re cool.

DMac: But, Emmanuel, I’ve been talking about that for the better part of a year. But you don’t listen to the show. And that’s fine that you don’t listen to the show.

ES: But where’s my apology or something?

DMac: Apology for what?

ES: I don’t know.

DMac: For what? Tell me what I should apologize for.

ES: You said that the Broncos should cut me?

DMac: Two years ago.

ES:  What was your reason behind that?

DMac: Emmanuel, you weren’t a strong leader where you needed to be a strong leader.

ES: How do you even know that? How do you know that?

DMac: Well, that’s my opinion based on things I’ve seen, based on people I’ve talked to …

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People grow

DMac: Who are you today compared to who you were three years ago?

ES: I mean, people grow. People grow. But I feel like my love for the game and the person I am in the locker room …

DMac: I’m not questioning that. As a person, who are you today that’s different than what you were three years ago?

ES: Yeah, people grow. People grow. People grow.

DMac: Where are you in your life today where (it’s different) than you were three years ago?

ES: Right now, in my life, I feel like I’m in the same spot, except I’ve got two kids.

DMac: Well, that’s a big difference. Are you based here in Denver?

ES: Yeah, I’m based here in Denver.

DMac: The whole family’s here in Denver?

ES: The whole family.

DMac: is that significantly different than three years ago?

ES: I was living in Houston. I was going back and forth.

DMac: You’re going back and forth?

ES: Yeah.

DMac: Are things more stable for you now than they’ve probably ever been in your personal life?

ES: I would say that.

DMac: Do you feel like you’ve grown as a human being and as a person and are a better father and husband than you’ve ever been?

ES: I’ve felt like I’ve always been a great father. Husband-wise, I have grown to be a better husband.

DMac: OK. So, you’re probably a different person now, to everybody, than you were three years ago.

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Timeline of the downfall in Denver

DMac: How did the Broncos get from winning a Super Bowl to where we are today?

ES: You want me to answer that truthfully?

DMac: Of course.

ES: I’m pretty sure we had a quarterback by the name of Peyton Manning at quarterback.

DMac: OK

ES: If you know anything about sports, the quarterback is the main position. The quarterback touches the ball on every single play in football. The quarterback determines the outcome of games, and we have yet to find us a quarterback. That’s evident. We had Peyton Manning.

DMac: What was Trevor (Siemian)?

ES: We had Peyton Manning as a quarterback, one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. I’m sure he had this city on fire. He was the No. 1 offense in the NFL for a very long time, a great leader in the locker room, and we have yet to replace him.

DMac: What was Trevor?

ES: Trevor was a quarterback.

DMac: What kind of quarterback was he?

ES: He wasn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

DMac: Two years of Trevor, right?

ES: Yeah.

DMac: What was Paxton Lynch?

ES: A quarterback.

DMac: What kind of quarterback?

ES: He wasn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

DMac: What kind of quarterback though?

ES: He wasn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

DMac: Well, he was a first-round draft pick.

ES: He wasn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. What do you want me to say? Where are you going with this?

DMac: I’m trying to figure out, Emmanuel, where we’re at.

ES: Where are we at? I just told you where we’re at. We have yet to find a quarterback.

DMac: OK, who was Case Keenum?

ES: A quarterback. What do you want me to tell you? What, do you want me to throw these guys under the bus?

DMac: No, no no no. No.

ES: See, that’s where you go wrong with me because I love these guys.

DMac: OK.

ES: I don’t think you understand that. I love my teammates. I love the Broncos organization. I love the city of Denver. I love my teammates. I would never throw my teammates under the bus. Did they get the job done? No, they did not get the job done.

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Burying the hatchet

Zach Bye: Where does this stand between you guys?

ES: Where does this stand? I’m coming back in studio. I had fun with you guys.

DMac: Listen, I would love the opportunity, by the way, if you really wanted to just do flat-out sports talk. Really. If you really wanted to do it.

ES: I think it would be good for us to just talk about life and everything. I feel like we should have a show just talking about just realness.

DMac: Anytime.

ES: Football, sports, life, things that are going on. Just give our perspective.

DMac: Give me the day.

ES: Sometimes I might be wrong and sometimes I might be right and vice versa with you. But I feel like it’d be great.