Seattle coach fired up

Not that he’s never not upbeat, but Seattle coach Pete Carroll seemed especially upbeat after finishing off a full week of practice and preparing to fly to Chicago on Friday night.

“It’s been a really good week,” Carroll said. “Everybody has been in tune in every aspect. We had everybody out here practicing, a full squad, which is great.

“We’re ready to go on this trip.”

The traveling party will include middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (concussion), who participated in Friday’s padless practice and is expected to play Sunday against the Bears.

“Not officially cleared yet, the docs still have to weigh in on all this,” Carroll said. “But Lofa did a good job today. They’re checking him out to see how he is afterwards, but he was fine today and the signs are really good that he’ll play.”

Keeping the wings warm:It#146;s not like they#146;re coming from South Florida, but the Seahawks#146; staff has been preparing diligently for what is expected to be a chilly Sunday at Soldier Field. In preparation for the conditions, seahawks.com reports the team is packing some 3,000 pounds of extra equipment. Included are battery-heated jackets and gloves, extra hand and foot warmers and thermal gear for up to 130 players and staff. If that doesn#146;t keep everyone toasty enough, hot apple cider and chicken broth will also be available for the players.Blue Friday:The Seahawks take their fans seriously, so much so that their #147;12th man#148; has its No. 12 jersey retired, joining Steve Largent as the only jersey retired by the franchise.On Friday, the fans returned the love by attending flag raising rallies at the Space Needle, Two Union Square and at City Hall.Seattle mayor Mike McGinn issued a proclamation calling it the #147;Seattle Seahawks #145;Blue Friday.#146;#148;The stat:Since 2005, home teams in the divisional round are 10-10.