Is it just ‘hard’ ball?

NFL. What started as a series of whispers over the last few seasons has now grown into a full-throated chorus.

Earlier this week, San Diego offensive lineman Nick Hardwick called Richard Seymour “dirty.” Cleveland offensive lineman Eric Steinbach said Mike Vrabel is “classless.” Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman blasted Vince Wilfork (who has been fined three times this year) after a hit from the Patriots nose tackle sidelined him for a few weeks. And now, New York defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora said Matt Light “did a couple of things that he shouldn’t have done” the last time the two teams met.

Are the Patriots a dirty team? Or is it just sour grapes from a league tired of hearing how great New England is as it makes a run toward a perfect season? Veteran safety Rodney Harrison — one of the most fined players in NFL history for a series of bone-rattling hits — says the Patriots have a distinct style.

And if you don’t like it, well, that’s too bad.

“We go out and play the game hard,” Harrison said yesterday. “If someone wants to think that we’re a certain way, or someone else is a certain way, that’s on them. But our game is to really be physical and play whatever game you want to play, whether it’s finesse or physical.

“You want to match up with us intellectually? We can do that as well.”

The latest incident came after Umenyiora spoke with HBO’s “Inside the NFL” earlier this week about his head-to-head matchup with Light in the Week 17 regular season finale between New England and New York.

“It was a good matchup the last time. I mean, I think I got him a couple of times, he also got me a couple of times,” Umenyiora told Bob Costas. “It was a war out there. And to be honest with you, I’m not quite sure that he thought that he was going to see me again because of some of the things he did and said during that game. But, you know, unfortunately he does have to see me again.”

Costas asked if Light was doing things differently than usual. Umenyiora said that he was.

“Hitting after the delay and trying to, I don’t know if he was trying to intimidate me, I don’t know what he was trying to do,” Umenyiora said.  “But he did a couple of things that he shouldn’t have done and, you know, now we are really going to go at it this time.”

The last time the Patriots met the Giants, it was certainly a physical contest. While it wasn’t a game filled with penalty flags (each team was flagged just five times), there was plenty of pushing and shoving after the whistle on both sides of the ball. Wilfork was singled out as a villain by New York fans after an incident where he stuck his fingers inside the face mask of New York running back Brandon Jacobs, drawing a $15,000 fine. In addition, defensive back Brandon Meriweather tackled New York kick returner Domenik Hixon near the Giants’ sideline. (Meriweather was then yelled at and tripped as he returned to the Patriots’ sideline.) The Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer was then flagged for shoving Meriweather.

According to cornerback Ellis Hobbs, it was a physical game, but was never dirty.

“That was one of those games where both teams refused to back down,” said cornerback Ellis Hobbs. “It was hard, physical football both ways ... It wasn’t that one side was taking cheap shots at the other and the other side just sitting there taking it.”

“I think that’s any game, especially late in the season, like that going into the playoffs,” said wide receiver Wes Welker. “I think every game is going to be like that, and that may have been amplified a little bit now.”