Donovan McNabb delivered a blunt “no” when asked Wednesday whether three weeks of struggles have prompted mechanical changes to his delivery.

McNabb is right. The Vikings never planned to overhaul the delivery of a quarterback with 13 years of NFL experience.

Marred by an 0-3 start heading into Sunday’s game at Kansas City, the Vikings are taking a hard look at how to maximize McNabb, who ranks 30th leaguewide with 478 passing yards and 26th in quarterback rating (78.1).

Quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson is working with McNabb on timing and throwing on balance from the start of McNabb’s throwing motion to the finish.

“When I watch him, when the pocket’s clean and everything’s perfect, is he on balance when he gets done with his throws?” Johnson said. “Does he know where he wants to go, and does he finish on balance? These are things we worked on all preseason, but you work on it even more when you’re not playing a full 60 minutes like you want to.”

McNabb is 9 of 24 on third-down passes and hasn’t completed a pass longer than 42 yards – and that was a screen pass to running back Toby Gerhart. In second halves, McNabb is 1 of 11 passing on third down.

Coach Leslie Frazier has asked his staff to work with McNabb “to make sure that we’re launching the football from the right point, we’re taking the proper drops, that our feet are where they need to be.”

The way McNabb sees it, this week isn’t much different than most because quarterbacks always should work to improve.

“As a quarterback, when you’re watching yourself, you’re going through everything,” McNabb said. “It’s not just mechanics. It’s ball placement, it’s making the right read, things of that nature.”

McNabb acknowledged that pressure from defensive linemen has attributed to his 58.0 completion percentage, 23rd in the league.

Though the offensive line has struggled with pass protection at times, McNabb is still missing several high-percentage throws each game.

Everything from “over-striding” on a throw to placing the ball to the outside while a receiver steps inside have resulted in missed opportunities that can be corrected, McNabb said.

A prime example came late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 26-23 overtime loss to the Lions, when McNabb’s pass to the end zone sailed out of bounds as a streaking Bernard Berrian beat his man in coverage.

“Sometimes, you anticipate throws, or if you have pressure in your face, whatever it may be, you try to anticipate it – especially versus man coverage,” said McNabb, who has been sacked eight times this season. “You want to have the ball out before the DB even turns his head around and give your guy an opportunity. Some throws you just miss.”

After benchings in Philadelphia and Washington, McNabb knows the truism that “everybody loves the backup” – in this case, rookie Christian Ponder. As the losses mount, McNabb likely will face more pressure about his job security.

“I don’t pay attention to it,” McNabb said. “I think the thing about it, I’ve been in this situation before many times. Everybody loves the backup. But that’s for every team. When things go well, the quarterback is the one who receives all the attention. When things go wrong, then we’re the ones who get criticized the most.”

If Johnson has his way, McNabb’s passing rhythm won’t wane in the second half.

“(If) we play consistently for 60 minutes, (a) lot of the questions about the timing and everything else will go away,” Johnson said.