Glauber: McNabb going through learning process

ASHBURN, Va.

Donovan McNabb faded back in the pocket and set his feet for the throw. Streaking down the left side of the field, wide receiver Devin Thomas faked toward the sideline and raced upfield. McNabb threw deep, but Thomas couldn't get there in time. Incomplete.

After a few more passes over the middle that failed to reach their intended targets, and you realize this: Just because a gifted quarterback is playing for another team doesn't mean positive results will be instantaneous. McNabb is the first to admit that after 11 seasons as an Eagle, this thing is going to take some time.

"Do I want to be perfect? Absolutely," he said. "Do I know there's a change and it's going to take time? Of course. I've been through when you're just learning a new scheme, the ins and outs, the ups and downs of it."

McNabb is especially critical of his play in the darkness of the videotape room, where he often sits by himself and watches his practices.

"It's very important to be critical about yourself," he said. "Am I pleased with where I'm at? No, because I want to be where I was in the same offense, and being able to have full command."

So for anyone assuming that McNabb automatically will elevate the Redskins' offense to the level he did in Philadelphia, where he led the Eagles to the playoffs eight times, it might be a good idea to dial back expectations. At least for now.

Perhaps Mike Shanahan can add perspective to what McNabb is going through. Sitting on a bench outside the Redskins' locker room, the coach who led Denver to two Super Bowl wins under John Elway put it this way:

"It's like learning a new language," Shanahan said. "If, all of a sudden, you didn't speak French and you then have to speak French every day, it takes a while."

It doesn't make it any easier that Shanahan's system is an offshoot of the West Coast offense; the Eagles' West Coast offense is markedly different in many of its nuances, and the terminology is completely different. So here's what McNabb does to process the information he now receives: He learns Shanahan's verbiage for the play-calls, then quickly equates it to the plays he ran in Philadelphia, then applies it to the new system.

Convoluted process? You bet.

"So many people have used the West Coast system, but it's not even close to where it used to be," said Shanahan, who adapted his version from Bill Walsh's 49ers but added his own touches along the way.

"Normally, the terminology is very easy, because you don't have to think it through. But now, for the first couple of months, you have to relate it to what you did before. In that third or fourth month, you start to speak the language. That's what he's going through now. He's working hard and picking it up every day."

It is a somewhat different McNabb than the player we saw in Philadelphia. For one thing, he has slimmed down considerably, shaving off 10 to 15 pounds. "When you get older, you have to stay sexy," he quipped. "Stay lean, and stay sexy."

But there is a more practical explanation for his weight loss: In Philadelphia, McNabb was a dropback passer who scrambled only when he needed to get out of trouble; with Shanahan's system, he's being asked to be more mobile with bootlegs and designed rollouts.

"Over the years in Philadelphia, it was more a matter of buying time when I got out of the pocket," he said. "Now, we have more of a keeper, naked [bootleg] game, where you get out on the corner."

Another difference in McNabb: He isn't quite the prankster/locker room comedian as he was in Philadelphia.

"It's just like starting college, and you're getting that syllabus," said McNabb, a Syracuse star. "Before you start to communicate with the professor and start cracking jokes, you have to know what's going on."

The best indicator of when McNabb starts to feel comfortable in his new offense will be when he starts lightening the mood with his humor.

"When I can get back to the way I was in Philly, moving around, laughing and joking with defenders, then that will happen," he said. "But now, for me, I'm very critical about what's going on. I get down sometimes, but you have to stay positive."

Staying positive has always been a McNabb trait. Through his ups and downs in Philadelphia, he always persevered. Looks as if it will have to continue in his new digs. Looks as if this thing might take a while.

And once he starts smiling, you'll know it's time to watch out for the Redskins. McNabb just hopes that comes sooner rather than later.