Jeff Overbaugh got more playful than testy when it was noted he isn’t the tallest or beefiest long snapper in the NFL.
“It’s not the size,” he said, smiling.
Well, it might be the size, or lack thereof, that took Overbaugh 11 tryouts this season to land on an NFL roster.
He claims he is 6-foot-1, 235 pounds — the Vikings list him at that height and 232 — but that looks to be pushing it just a little.
“It’s on the website,” he said.
In fact, it doesn’t matter how tall or heavy he is, now that Overbaugh is the Vikings’ long snapper. He performed his role with no hiccups Sunday in the Vikings’ 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears, which also happened to be his first regular-season game in the NFL.
He was signed this past week after a season-ending injury to Kevin McDermott, and the hope is he will keep the job through the Vikings’ playoff run.
His snaps Sunday on punts, extra points and a missed field-goal attempt all were where they should be. The 55-yarder Kai Forbath missed had nothing to do with the snap, and the punt return for a touchdown wasn’t his fault, either.
“It felt great,” Overbaugh said. “This is awesome.”
Of all the teams that could have signed him, Overbaugh has wound up with the NFC favorite to play in the Super Bowl.
“Great to be here,” he said. “Great to be with this group. I’m certainly fortunate to be with such a good team. I’ll try my best to be right by them.”
Asked how he would grade himself, the San Diego State product said, “Um, it’s actually pretty hard to watch a snap when you’re blocking. You tell me. I haven’t seen film yet.”