EDEN PRAIRIE  — Here’s a little-known piece of background on wide receiver Michael Jenkins: He picked up bowling as a hobby in college.

Familiar faces — and a playbook he’s comfortable with — have helped Jenkins get that metaphorical ball rolling in Minnesota more quickly. The transition to a new team for Jenkins hasn’t been as awkward or difficult as it can be for a guy trying to grasp a new scheme, and there are a couple of reasons.

“It’s a big help from me on the learning curve,” said Jenkins, who joined the Vikings a few weeks ago after he was cut by the Atlanta Falcons to clear room under the salary cap.

Vikings wide receivers coach George Stewart held that job with the Falcons during Jenkins’ first three years in the league, 2004 to 2006. Bill Musgrave, hired this year by the Vikings to be their offensive coordinator, was the quarterbacks coach for the Falcons from 2006 to 2010.

“We’re excited, because he knows our system a little bit better than everybody else,” Musgrave said.

Familiarity was an even stronger force in the post-lockout chaos that was NFL free agency last month.

Without the usual spring and summer practice time to pick up a new system, let alone become proficient in it, going to a place where the responsibilities are similar and the playbook terminology isn’t like a foreign language was just as attractive to many players as top money, contract length and playing time opportunity.

Ex-Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and wide receiver Sidney Rice chose Seattle, where offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had already arrived after being let go by Minnesota. Wide receiver Roy Williams went to Chicago, where offensive coordinator Mike Martz has installed the system Williams ran under Martz with Detroit in 2006-07.

So for Jenkins, this is a fresh start, with the extra benefit of institutional knowledge.

“This is a good opportunity for me to still go out and show what I have left,” Jenkins said.