Seau shakes off late hit

Fan is arrested after tackling linebacker

By Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff  |  December 22, 2008

FOXBOROUGH - This was one tackle Junior Seau could have done without.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the veteran Patriots linebacker was tackled by a male fan who brought Seau to the ground. Team spokesman Stacey James confirmed that the fan was removed from Gillette Stadium and arrested by the Foxborough police.

The police refused to provide details of the arrest or an identity of the fan.

"It was definitely a shock," said Seau. "It was probably one of my most memorable moments in my 19-year career."

Seau said he initially thought the fan was a teammate having some fun during the Patriots' 47-7 blowout victory.

"I thought it was one of my players that was enjoying the win. As I was laying on the ground I saw this guy in street clothes," said Seau. "Obviously, it was not one of the players or any of the employees of the Patriots. Therefore, security came over and took care of him. I wish him a Merry Christmas."

With rookie linebacker Gary Guyton out, Seau drew the start at inside linebacker and tied for the team lead with seven tackles.

Seau tried to downplay the incident and was jovial about it. However, he admitted that having someone come out of the stands was scary.

"Obviously, it is and I think the league will look at that and obviously, enforce it," said Seau. "But Merry Christmas to him.

It won't be a Merry Christmas for the fan who tackled Seau or the person whose tickets he was using, as the team has revoked the ticket privileges related to the seat. The team could not confirm whether the account belonged to the alleged attacker, and James declined further comment.

Yesterday was another first for Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel - the first game Cassel played in the snow. With the game-time temperature at 30 degrees with a wind-chill factor of 21 degrees and steady snow falling throughout the first half, Cassel and the Patriots passing game were unfazed.

Cassel was 20 of 36 for 345 yards and three touchdowns, while Kurt Warner and the Cardinals, who entered with the NFL's second-rated passing attack (299 yards per game) struggled to throw. Warner was just 6 of 18 for 30 yards.

"I'd much rather play in snow vs. rain, now that I've done both because the ball is just not as wet and you can have a little bit better handle on it," said Cassel, who had his fifth game this season with three or more TD tosses.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said the snow didn't alter the Patriots' game plan.

"Matt talked about it in the pregame - his grip on the ball was fine," said McDaniels. "The balls weren't all that wet even though it was snowing and all that, so as long as the wind is not a significant issue we don't really see it changing the passing game all that much.

"We kind of called the game the way we wanted to call it."

As Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt had hinted Thursday, Arizona elected to hold out Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who did not practice leading up to the game because of a shoulder injury, and running back/kickoff returner J.J. Arrington (knee).

Boldin was listed as questionable for the game and did make the trip with the team. Entering the game, Boldin was the Cardinals' leader in receptions with 89 catches for 1,038 yards and an NFL-best 11 touchdown receptions.

"It was just a case of being smart," said Boldin after the game. "Any time you have a game you want to be on the field, but the most important thing right now is being healthy for the playoffs."

Matt Light, who did not participate in practice until Friday because of a right shoulder injury, started at left tackle.

Light injured the shoulder during the second quarter of the Patriots' 49-26 win over the Raiders last Sunday and had been unable to practice Wednesday or Thursday before having limited participation Friday.

Light still hasn't missed a game since he suffered a broken leg in the third game of the 2005 season and missed the remaining 13 regular-season games and the playoffs.

Light was replaced at by Mark LeVoir on the Patriots' final drive of the first half, which ended with a Stephen Gostkowski 38-yard field goal.

Light was in the locker room after the game but did not speak with the media.

Defensive end Richard Seymour left in the second quarter with a back injury and did not return. He took a shot to his lower back when Warner couldn't connect with running back Edgerrin James on a screen pass on a third-and-10 play with 1:35 left in the half.

A league source indicated Seymour was in pain after the game. The injury, although not initially considered major in nature, could potentially affect Seymour's availability for Sunday's season finale in Buffalo.

Seymour tied his career high for sacks in a season (eight) when he split a sack with Mike Wright late in the first quarter.

Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had five catches for a season-high 90 yards. Gaffney's 37-yard reception in the second quarter was his longest of the season and helped set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to Kevin Faulk.

"Jabar is a great player. He's a phenomenal receiver," said Cassel. "He continues to get open and anything you ask of him, he's there.

"He's a great team player, and he shows up around this time every year. He's played well throughout the entire season.

"He's a guy that I rely on, and we rely on as an offense, and if they want to take away, at times, Wes [Welker] and Randy [ Moss], Jabar is just as good an option as any of those guys."

The Patriots were penalized a season-high seven times for 65 yards. In the second quarter, Logan Mankins was whistled for a holding call and the flag hit him in the helmet and stuck there. "I didn't even know," said Mankins. "The guy came over and apologized a few plays later: 'Sorry for hitting you with the flag.' I didn't even know he hit me with it. I would have thrown it back. No, just kidding." . . . Faulk, who had three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown, set a career high for receiving yards with 478 . . . The Patriots tied their record for most 40-point games in a season, matching their mark from last season. New England, which put 47 on Arizona yesterday one week after scoring 49 against the Raiders, also topped 40 in a 41-7 win over Denver Oct. 20 and a 48-28 win over the Dolphins Nov. 23 . . . Guyton tested his ankle before the game but was unable to go. Safety James Sanders (abdomen) and linebacker Tedy Bruschi (left knee) both missed their second straight games. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was a healthy scratch, along with offensive linemen Dan Connolly, Wesley Britt, and Billy Yates. Matt Gutierrez was the third quarterback . . . Ellis Hobbs's fourth-quarter interception of Cardinals backup quarterback Matt Leinart was his third of the season, tying the career high he set during his rookie year of 2005 . . . The out-of-bounds, goal line, and back lines were painted blue. According to James, the NFL's game operations people requested there be a contrasting color on the field to make it easier for the officials to make calls in the snow. The choice of blue was the Patriots'.

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report; Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.