Seattle Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks Tonight's game : 6:23, Ford Field, Detroit TV : chs. 2,7 Line : Steelers by 4 1/2

Every Monday morning -- even during the playoffs -- I bring you my weekly premature NFL power rankings. Why Monday? Because who wants to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday for power rankings? Since only four teams are still standing, this will be the last week I do the power rankings this season. It has been fun, and I thank those who took a deep breath and tried not to take these inane rankings too seriously. 1. New England Patriots (week -- 2): The Patriots toyed with the Houston Texans, who never really had a chance against the NFL's -- by far -- highest-scoring team.

FOOTBALL (NFL)* San Diego Chargers -- Signed Stanley Richard (safety).* Seattle Seahawks -- Signed Derrick Fenner (running back) to a one-year contract.HOCKEY (AHL)* New Haven Nighthawks -- Named Doug Carpenter director of hockey operations.

The Ravens continued to tinker with their roster as they approach today's 4 p.m. first full-team practice of training camp, signing former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Logan Payne , and waiving undrafted free agent fullback Jamison Berryhill . Payne, who is 6-2 and 203 pounds, last played in the NFL in 2008 for the Seattle Seahawks when he started two games and caught three balls for 39 yards in the season opener. In a Week Two game, he tore the media collateral ligament in his knee and spent the rest of the 2008 season on injured reserve.

Opponent: Seattle SeahawksSite: Memorial StadiumWhen: Tomorrow, 1 p.m.TV/Radio: No TV/WJFK (1300 AM), WLIF (101.9 FM)Line: PickTickets: 5,000 remainPub Date: 12/06/97

BasketballUtah Jazz -- Released G Walter Bond. Activated G Jay Humphries from the DL.Hartford Hellcats (CBA) -- Announced the retirement of C Les Jepsen.CollegesMichigan State -- Named Nick Saban football coach.FootballSeattle Seahawks -- Activated RB Beno Bryant.SkiingAmerican Alpine Club -- Named Louis Reichardt president.

The Ravens continued to tinker with their roster as they approach today's 4 p.m. first full-team practice of training camp, signing former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Logan Payne , and waiving undrafted free agent fullback Jamison Berryhill . Payne, who is 6-2 and 203 pounds, last played in the NFL in 2008 for the Seattle Seahawks when he started two games and caught three balls for 39 yards in the season opener. In a Week Two game, he tore the media collateral ligament in his knee and spent the rest of the 2008 season on injured reserve.

DETROIT -- The witching hour is almost here. Time for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks to show whether they have the stuff of champions. No, it's not the Super Bowl. Super Bowl Steelers (14-5) vs. Seahawks (15-3); Sunday, 6:23 p.m., chs. 2, 7 Line: Steelers by 4

BasketballRapid City Thrillers (CBA) -- Traded former Washington Bullets F Ed Horton to the Tulsa Zone, for a 1992 seventh-round draft pick and the rights to former Bullets G Wes Matthews.Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) -- Activated G Kurk Lee (Towson State) from injured list.CollegeMinnesota -- Named Jim Wacker (40-58-2 at TCU) football coach.FootballCincinnati Bengals -- Named David Shula coach.Seattle Seahawks -- Coach Chuck Knox resigned.Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Fired coach Richard Williamson.

Baseball Colorado Rockies -- Reached agreement on a one-year contract with P David Nied, the last remaining unsigned player on their 40-man roster.BasketballPhiladelphia 76ers -- Fired coach Doug Moe. Announced that assistant coach Fred Carter (Mount St. Mary's, former Baltimore Bullet) will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.CollegesMississippi -- Dismissed F Germaine Kohn from the football team for disciplinary reasons.Rocky Mountain -- Announced it will not renew the contract of women's basketball coach Emily Bauer.

One positive to take away from Sunday's 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks is that the Ravens -- besides their egos -- escaped the game at Seattle's CenturyLink Field without a player suffering a serious injury. “No injuries to report at this time,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “Thanks for asking.” As for Lee Evans, who returned to the practice field last week but was inactive Sunday, Harbaugh is “hopeful” the wide receiver will return to the lineup soon.

They said that they had learned their lesson, and the letdowns that occurred in Nashville and Jacksonville wouldn't happen again. Then over 60 minutes, the Ravens did everything possible to lose a football game. They fumbled kickoffs, missed field goals, dropped passes, took senseless penalties, appeared disinterested in establishing a running game, and allowed what was the league's third worse offense to run off nearly the final six minutes while the game hung in the balance. All that added up to another head-scratching performance by the Ravens and a hard-to-accept 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks before an announced 66,522 at CenturyLink Field Sunday.

It figures that in an NFL draft with outstanding second-round value, coach Bill Belichick would own three picks in the round and be in position to overhaul his sagging New England Patriots defense. The Patriots have a total of four picks (Nos. 23, 34, 47, 58) in the first two rounds of the draft, which begins Saturday. That pretty much makes Belichick the winner before the Detroit Lions, who have the top selection, even get on the clock. Here's a primer on what else to expect. Trade bait There hasn't been a trade for one of the top five picks since 2004, thanks to the astronomical financial guarantees committed to less-than-Hall-of-Fame talent.

At the beginning of the season, when the Ravens won two in a row, this town was already buzzing about playoffs. It was way too early. But now after the Ravens beat the Houston Texans, 41-13, on Sunday, you can actually start thinking about the p-word. Go ahead, let it roll off your tongue. The picture is starting to become a little clearer. If the Ravens had lost to the Texans, there would be few scenarios remaining that had the Ravens in the postseason, even with the Indianapolis Colts knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Sunday night's Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, a tautly played, compelling contest, drew 8.6 percent of Baltimore's audience, almost the same (8.5) as the Sunday night NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, which was far less competitive . Are we so bored by baseball and so enamored of football that these two received equal weight? Were we hopped up about the chance to watch NBC's game when John Madden had the night off? (For more, go to baltimoresun.

Seattle -- Before the game began, the Ravens had very little chance of beating the Seattle Seahawks, and any chance of an upset was eliminated by the end of the first quarter. Ravens star running back Willis McGahee was knocked out of the game with two broken ribs with 3:14 left in the opening quarter. The Ravens were already without several star players because of injuries, among them cornerback Chris McAlister and linebacker Ray Lewis, but this team couldn't afford to lose McGahee. In a season in which the offense has been horrific, McGahee has been outstanding, rushing for more than 1,000 yards.

It took five months of negotiations to get Rocket Ismail into a Los Angeles Raiders uniform.But it took just five exhibition games to get Gaston Green out of his Raiders uniform.The club activated Ismail, the receiver-return man from Notre Dame by way of the Canadian Football League, yesterday and terminated Green, the veteran running back, making him a free agent.Ismail, who signed his first NFL contract 13 days ago, will make his debut in the Kingdome today against the Seattle Seahawks, returning kicks and perhaps running pass patterns.

Sunday night's Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, a tautly played, compelling contest, drew 8.6 percent of Baltimore's audience, almost the same (8.5) as the Sunday night NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, which was far less competitive . Are we so bored by baseball and so enamored of football that these two received equal weight? Were we hopped up about the chance to watch NBC's game when John Madden had the night off? (For more, go to baltimoresun.