Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel said Sunday in a radio interview from the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles that he is quickly picking up the team's offense, which he said is less complex than the system he used at Florida State.
"The funny thing is it's easier to learn than the offense I had at Florida State," he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "It's a true West Coast-type progression offense. That's really what I wanted when I was coming through the pre-draft process. I wanted something that I could just go in and say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, check it down and run it. That's it, it's that simple. I love it."
He said he spent extensive time during the Bills' rookie minicamp and organized team activities working with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
"I've done great. The learning curve for me is a lot shorter simply because of what I had at Florida State. [The Seminoles' offense is] more complex and a little bit harder to catch on and learn. This offense is very simple. I've done a great job with it," he said in the interview.
The Bills made the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Manuel the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2013 draft. Coach Doug Marrone has already announced that Manuel will spend the offseason competing for the starting job with Kevin Kolb, a six-year veteran whom the Bills signed in free agency last month, and returning backup Tarvaris Jackson.
Manuel said Sunday he has quickly bonded with the other offensive skill-position players the Bills drafted in April. In addition to Manuel, Buffalo selected receivers Robert Woods (USC), Marquise Goodwin (Texas) and tight end Chris Gragg (Arkansas).
Manuel said Gragg was his roommate during the Bills' rookie minicamp.
"I think the biggest thing is we all come from winning programs. We're used to winning, we're used to preparing to win," Manuel said in the interview.
He said the rookie class now must translate that winning atmosphere to the Bills, a team that has not finished with a winning record since 2004, and has not made the playoffs in 13 years -- the NFL's longest active drought.
"Winning is an attitude and mindset, and we have to bring it to our team," he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.