Tempers, testiness just part of the fun

Center Chris Spencer sat at his locker after the game Sunday, head still safely attached to his shoulders.

That firmly moored noggin stood in direct contradiction to referee Tony Corrente fourth-quarter pronouncement of a 15-yard penalty against Arizona. Darnell Dockett had tangled with Spencer, and according to Corrente, "ripped off his head."

Not quite. Spencer lost his helmet Sunday, not his head. Same went for the Seahawks, who won a game peppered with plenty of temper and some good, old-fashioned testiness.

"Playing a division opponent, they're always going to come to play," Spencer said. "And they wanted to let us know they're here to play."

And push. Or poke. Or any other manner of provocation showed by both teams.

Some of it's familiarity, which can breed contempt in the NFL. These teams play each other twice a year. Some of it is Seattle's status as division heavyweight. And part of it is a little edginess between the two teams.

"These guys, you always seem to get something a little extra as far as talking," Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu said.

Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui wore a microphone during Arizona's first game against Seattle back in September, and some clips were shown on HBO's "Inside the NFL." Lutui shouted to Tatupu, his college teammate, complaining he hadn't gotten taken out to dinner. Lutui also asked if Rocky Bernard lost weight from last year.

Sunday, Lutui tangled with defensive tackle Ellis Wyms after one play, and as Lutui walked back to the huddle, linebacker Leroy Hill was pointing at him and shouting.

Tatupu knows Lutui well, having played with him at USC.

"He doesn't do anything," Tatupu said. "It's just cheap shots. I can say that because that's my boy and I know his game from when he was at SC."

In the fourth quarter, Tatupu was looking for Lutui as cornerback Marcus Trufant returned an interception for a touchdown.

"He was running off the field rather quickly," Tatupu said of Lutui. "I'm running down, yelling in his face."

Not that Tatupu minds the extracurricular elements.

"I like it," he said. "They're tough, nasty O-linemen and you can appreciate it. Like I said before, there's a fine line between nasty and dirty. And they're nasty. They'll come after you and hit and every now and then they'll push you in the back."

But in the fourth quarter, officials decided Dockett took it too far after Spencer blocked him to the ground, assessing a personal-foul penalty on third down to give Seattle a first-and-goal at the Arizona 3.

So things got chippy out there?

"If that's what you want to call it," Dockett said afterward.

Well, what happened then?

"Nothing," Dockett said. "It was a call that the refs made, and I'm not going to comment too much."

"Part of the game," Seattle offensive tackle Sean Locklear said afterward. "It got heated out there."

Just not too hot for Seattle to handle.