Tim Ruskell (left) and Rich McKay have a combined 25 years in the Bucs' personnel department
Before he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992, Rich McKay was an attorney. Before he became a football scout and joined the Bucs' personnel staff in 1987, Tim Ruskell was a radio disc jockey.
Get the connection? These guys can talk.
That should come in handy tonight, when both McKay and Ruskell put on headsets as the latest guests on the Pewter Power Hour, the unique fan call-in show on Buccaneers.com. If you would like, they can talk to you. All you have to do is call the show after 7:30 p.m. ET, using the following toll free number:
1-866-783-2680
McKay, the Bucs' general manager, and Ruskell, the club's director of player personnel, have spent the last decade or so building the Buccaneers into one of the NFL's most successful teams. Of course, that job is never done, so even as the 2001 team makes its annual playoff push this month, McKay, Ruskell and the rest of the Bucs' personnel department are scouting, evaluating and planning the next move.
Much of what McKay and Ruskell do is behind the scenes, though not mysterious. There is always a plan for the months and years ahead, some of which the team is willing to share and some of which is kept close to the vest. Call tonight and explore the boundary between the two as we'll discuss free agency, next year's draft, this year's team and whatever other topics you put on the table.
Every other week, Buccaneers.com hosts the Pewter Power Hour, an audio show broadcast live from team headquarters. Fans are encouraged to call and get patched in to the guests in the studio. It is one of the few opportunities for Bucs fans to speak directly to prominent guests from the Bucs' locker room and front office. Former guests on the show include Head Coach Tony Dungy, RB Warrick Dunn, FB Mike Alstott, DT Warren Sapp, CB Ronde Barber, T Kenyatta Walker, TE Dave Moore, S John Lynch and DE Steve White.
It's the Pewter Power Hour, and it's simple: call in, talk directly to Rich McKay and Tim Ruskell and let Buc fans across the nation marvel at your football acumen. The show begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.
If you won't be available on Monday evening or don't feel up to calling, you can still get your questions answered by using Pewter Power Hour e-mail. After the live broadcast, a replay of the show will be posted immediately in the Broadcast Network box. Click here to visit the Pewter Power Hour archive and listen to past shows.
