"My first two years in the league when I was trying to learn the ways and everything, he was my mentor," Martin said. "The foundation of starting my NFL career was with Bono. It lets me get back to what I know. We speak the same language and mesh well."

Detroit's special teams tied for 15th under Bonamego in Rick Gosselin's annual special teams rankings in 2014, his last season with the team.

That was also the year the Lions signed Prater, who's become a staple in Detroit and one of the league's most consistent kickers.

Muhlbach, fresh off his second career Pro Bowl appearance last week, is also very familiar with Bonamego's coaching style and schemes.

"I've talked to Sam and Matt about it and we're excited," Muhlbach told detroitlions.com at the Pro Bowl. "It's one less thing for him to worry about as he gets started."

It's the familiarity a lot of the players on special teams have with Bonamego, and Bonamego's understanding of their skill sets, that makes Martin believe Detroit's specialists will hit the ground running when the offseason training program begins.