Cooley and Kelly praise new Skins quarterback
They liked him from afar already; that much was evident after the Redskins acquired Donovan McNabb in a trade Sunday night. Now, after less than a week with his new team, McNabb’s teammates are even happier with what they’ve seen.
McNabb does not seem like a stranger to them. Rather, he’s already part of the team.
“Donovan is outstanding,” Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said. “It feels like he’s been here for a couple years. Instantly he’s a leader. Instantly he knows what it takes to have a team together. He talks with all the guys. … You like a guy that’s been there, who’s been in five NFC championships.”
Cooley wasn’t alone in his sentiment. Receiver Malcolm Kelly, a few minutes after running routes and catching passes from McNabb during an informal workout, echoed Cooley’s words.
“It’s almost like he’s been here,” Kelly said. “It’s almost like he got the playbook when we got it. It’s crazy because he knows everything. He already knows the concepts and he’s just been here for two or three days. You can just tell the way he carries himself and the way he is on the field that he has a lot of confidence in himself. That spreads to the rest of the guys on the field.”
Kelly said he was surprised by McNabb’s demeanor.
“First impression is that he’s a normal guy,” Kelly said. “He’s a lot more laid back than I would have expected. He’s a cool dude. … He has a real strong arm and he’s accurate. It’ll be different.”
Buchanon on punts
Cornerback Phillip Buchanon said he welcomes the opportunity to return punts. Buchanon averaged 13.1 yards per punt return, and scored three times, during his first two seasons. But in the last six years he has averaged 6.1 yards per return — ex-Redskin Antwaan Randle El averaged 6.0 yards in 2009.
Shanahan moving WRs
Kelly likes the design of the offense. He likes what the other receivers like: Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will move the receivers around. It’s what Shanahan did as the offensive coordinator in Houston, too.
“It causes matchup problems,” Kelly said. “Sometimes you’ll be on the outside and sometimes you get pulled into the slot and lined up against linebackers. It makes it hard for defenses to cover the wide receivers. You look at Houston on tape from last year and … it was hard for the defense to get a good jam on their receivers.”
