Arnie Stapleton, Author at Valley News

In this Jan. 5, 2011, photo, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen talks about Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway who he named Executive V.P. of football operations during a news conference at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo. Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar TV deals, has died. He was 75. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski)

Appreciation: Pat Bowlen was not your typical NFL owner

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterJune 14, 2019

DENVER — Hall of Famer Gary Zimmerman realized Pat Bowlen wasn’t your typical, meddlesome NFL owner his first Thanksgiving in Denver when he found a sign-up sheet for a turkey, surely a prank on the rookies and other newcomers like himself.What the…

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2003, file photo, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr waves to the crowd, with Phil Bengston, 10, at his side at the newly renovated Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Bengston is the grandson of former Packers coach Phil Bengston, who coached after Vince Lombardi. Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Sunday, May 26, 2019, that Starr had died, citing his family. He had been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)

Bart Starr diesat 85

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterMay 26, 2019

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, right, drives past Denver Nuggets forward Mason Plumlee in the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Sunday, May 12, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Leyba)

McCollum, Blazers reach conference finals

by Arnie Stapleton The Associated PressMay 12, 2019

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2011, file photo, former Green Bay Packers player and Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg is introduced at halftime of the Packers game against the Denver Broncos at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says Green Bay Packers great Forrest Gregg has died. He was 85. The Hall did not disclose details about his death in its statement Friday, April 12, 2019. (Corey Wilson/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP, File)

Forrest Gregg, Packers hall of famer, dies at 85

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterApril 12, 2019

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2018, file photo, Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, in Carson, Calif. More than 330 of college football's finest players are gathering in Indianapolis this week for the NFL's annual combine. Not all of the players who will get drafted in April are on the invite list, however. The biggest snub last year was Colorado running back Phillip Lindsay, the first undrafted offensive player ever selected to the Pro Bowl. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Calling all snubs: Those not invited to NFL combine look for inspiration

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterFebruary 26, 2019

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game in New Orleans. A person with knowledge of the trade tells The Associated Press, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, that the Denver Broncos have agreed to acquire Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL draft. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team announced the deal. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Broncos put mile-high hopes in Flacco

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterFebruary 13, 2019

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2015, file photo, Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta looks for a receiver in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland in College Park, Md. Every quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL draft has a major flaw or drawback that keeps them from being the consensus best one of the bunch. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Hi, Fans: Welcome to the Year of the (Flawed) Quarterback

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterApril 24, 2018

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2018, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, hugs coach Bill Belichick after the AFC championship NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Foxborough, Mass. Opponents tend to freak out against Brady and Belichick just when they’re about to conquer the New England Patriots’ dynastic duo. The Philadelphia Eagles swear they won’t fall into that trap if they have the chance in Super Bowl 52. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Philly Freak Out? Foes Often Go Dumb Against Patriots

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterJanuary 28, 2018

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2017, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds up a Super Bowl trophy along with head coach Bill Belichick, right, and team owner Robert Kraft, left, during a rally in Boston to celebrate a 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game in Houston. The Patriots say a report suggesting a rift involving Kraft, Belichick and Brady is "flat-out inaccurate." The three released a joint statement Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, hours after an ESPN report, citing undisclosed sources, detailed an array of tension. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

The Patriots Are Rested, Recharged and Riled Up

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterJanuary 8, 2018

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2017 file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison walks the sidelines as his team plays against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh. The New England Patriots signed Harrison, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, after he was released on Saturday by the Steelers. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich, File)

Ex-Steeler Added to Patriots

by Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football WriterDecember 26, 2017