Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Rupert Patrick wrote:

King Kong wrote:

Rupert Patrick wrote:Roethlisberger has set a record with 12 TD passes in two games, and along with being the only man with two 500-yard passing games, it looks like 2014 is the year Big Ben is passing the so called Bus test.

What is the Bus test?

The Bus test is an exercise to try to figure out, if he were hit by a bus tomorrow, would he make the Hall of Fame based on what he had accomplished to this point? All HOFers cross this point at some juncture in their careers, except for the ones who were frankly poor selections, but the qualified ones all pass the test at some point. I would suppose an exception is made for those with short careers like Gale Sayers.

Tom Brady passed it probably in 2007, and Peyton Manning in 2006, possibly 2004. Terry Bradshaw passed the Bus test in 1978 or 1979, and Jerry Rice at some point around 1994-95. Steve Young probably passed it in 1994, and Emmitt Smith passed it in 1995, as Troy Aikman also did, and probably Michael Irvin. Drew Brees has probably already passed it, although I would have to look at his stats to see the place where it occurred but it was sometime in the last two or three years. Joe Namath had a short career, but it probably could be argued he passed the bus test when the Jets won Super Bowl III. On the other hand, I'm not sure Eli Manning has passed it yet, as he doesn't have a lot going for him on his HOF resume after the two Super Bowl wins. The bus test is a way of determining the point when a player has crossed the line and become a certain future HOFer. If you examine his career once it is over, you can usually spot the point where it happens. I am saying that I think we will be able to look back and it will be clear that Roethlisberger reached that point in 2014, and I think the same can probably be said for Devin Hester.