Burgess said:
If you look at his two celebrations after kicking the game winners in the superbowls you can see hints of the progression his ego/personality took.
In 2001 he was delirously happy and celebrated with his teammates. In 2003 he had more of a "i'm too cool" look on his face and let his teammates embrace him while he posed.
I've also seen a picture of him posing with his shirt off boy-band style and I cringe everytime I watch my Superbowl DVD where they show him trying to exhort his teammates on the sideline. It's embarassing.
I suspect that ol AV wasn't as much fun to work with as he used to be...
You know, I met him in 1997 @ Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL, where I worked and where the Dolphins also train.
I used to go watch the Dolphins workout while I ate my lunch and one day I see two guys off to the side kicking and being instructed by some dude in a wheelchair.
As I was leaving, they were heading into the locker room and I realized it was AV. I sped up my pace and got over to them and said hello and he said hi.
I told him I was a big Pats fan, showed him my Pats tattoo and told him how cr@ppy I felt about the Super Bowl loss to Green Bay.
He thanked me for the support and said he was out here getting ready with the guy in the wheelchair (who turned out to be Doug Blevins, kicking guru) and the other kicker (who was Joe Nedney) for Pats training camp, which opened in Rhode Island in a few days.
Nedney had just left the Dolphins, I remember, so the Fish must have been letting the three of them use the facility.
AV seemed very genuine. Nice kid.
I don't know if the fame got to him or not, but he was awfully cool that day.
Little thing, too. His eyes were even with my chest and he was very skinny, but chiseled.
They list him as 6'0"/ 202, but I'm 5'11" 250 and I'm telling you he ain't an inch over 5'8"!
Today, he's dead to me, just like McGinest, Damon, Law, Clemens, Sparky Lyle, Wade Boggs, Milloy, Slade, et al...
ADPF