First-year Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman seems like he could use all the help he can get.

Trestman, who took over for the recently fired Lovie Smith, invited former Bears player and head coach Mike Ditka to practice on Tuesday, and the veteran coach stopped by and offered words of wisdom to current players.

"I thought that was a great place to start, somebody who knew as much about the Bears and the tradition of the Bears as he does," Trestman told the Los Angeles Times.

Ditka was drafted in the first round of the 1961 draft and played on the 1963 NFL Championship team. The 73-year-old former coach also won Super Bowl XX as a coach for the 1985 Bears, a team that some argued had the best defense in history.

"He talked about the commitment to the teammates, things like that and it comes down to the players, not just the coaches," Tight End Martellus Bennett said. "The coaches can coach, but when we're on the field, we need to make the commitment to one another, making things happen for each other."

The Bears started 7-1 last year and finished with a decent 10-6 record, but the competition was too strong in their division and the squad missed the playoffs. The team hopes to rebound this year and capitalize on the progress made last season.

During practice, Ditka said he told the players that they "have the best opportunity in the world" by playing for the Bears. Ditka was fired as the team's coach after the 1992 season.

The former player and coach also went on to serve as the head coach for the New Orleans Saints for three seasons, from 1997-99. Ditka now serves as a TV commentator on ESPN shows such as Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live, and the CBS Radio Monday Night Football Pregame Show.