Steelers Should Sign Favre

Once again, Brett Favre has been in the news quite a bit recently. Much to the dismay of Big Daddy Drew of Kissing Suzy Kolber (language may be NSFW), the speculation is that Favre would join the Minnesota Vikings, but according to Yahoo, "Favre told Vikings coach Brad Childress that he wanted to remain retired." Nevertheless, I don’t expect that people will believe that Favre is truly retired until the day Super Bowl 44 is played. Therefore, to end the speculation and the months of "will Brett be back?" stories, I propose that the Pittsburgh Steelers sign Favre. From his perspective, wouldn’t he want one more chance to win a second Super Bowl? The defending Super Bowl champions are one of next season’s top contenders and could give Favre that opportunity.



From the Steelers side, we all witnessed what happened after Super Bowl 40. The Steelers finished the season 8-8 and failed to reach the postseason. In his final season as Steelers coach, Bill Cowher did not have his usual enthusiasm and the team seemed to play without the same passion and determination that they did during the previous season. Plus, that was the season in which Ben Roethlisberger missed one game after an appendectomy and had that whole motorcycle accident thing. To ensure that Roethlisberger doesn’t have the same drama following his second Super Bowl championship, signing Favre could keep Ben away from motorcycles and a second appendicitis. In addition, signing Favre would keep the team hungry. A team that wins a championship can’t be complacent and needs some new players who are desperate to win the title. Sure, the team has a new rookie class highlighted by Ziggy Hood, but rookies don’t have the same perspective that veterans have. And yes, the Steelers signed free agents Keiwan Ratliff and Shaun McDonald, but they don’t bring the same history and headlines that Brett Favre would. While Favre competing for another Super Bowl would be a national story, I can’t see the same level of "Bettis wins a championship in his hometown" coverage for Ratliff or McDonald.

Another reason to sign Favre would be to help in the development of Dennis Dixon and rookie free agent Mike Reilly out of Central Washington. Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch need to focus on learning the playbook and winning games. They may not have the time to mentor the younger quarterbacks. Dixon needs someone to teach him what it’s like to win a Super Bowl. Brett Favre can do that. Of course, when Favre is busy meeting with Peter King or Rachel Nichols, Dixon could always talk to Roethlisberger about the experience of winning two Super Bowls.

If only John Madden was alive to see Favre as a Steeler.