As was clear to anyone who watched New England’s 47-7 dismantling of Arizona on Sunday, the Cardinals could not tackle anyone in a Patriots uniform. Seeing that inability to do something as basic as wrapping up a runner from a “playoff” team (that will be hosting a playoff game!) was pretty shocking.

In fact, if you were watching the game, you might have thought that any schlub from the stands could have done a better job tackling than the Cardinals’ defense. And you would be right. As the BOSTON GLOBE notes, a fan came down onto the field and took down the Patriots’ Junior Seau midway through the fourth quarter.

Now, why the (presumably) Pats fan decided to go after one of his own players instead of a Cardinal is a mystery to me. Perhaps he started to head towards Kurt Warner freezing on the bench, and then detoured towards the New England side out of pity. And why Junior Seau? I wouldn’t mess with the guy - plus, if you tackle him too hard, he might break his hip. (Because he’s old.)

As for Seau, he was understandably a little surprised that this happened:

“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.”

And frankly, with the security of NFL players being such a major issue, it’s pretty shocking that a fan can make it out of the stands and run onto the field and tackle a player. And Roger Goodell wonders why players pack heat when they are at home or out and about: If they can’t feel protected from nutjob fans on the field, how in the world are they going to feel safe in the outside world?

*UPDATE*: Seau’s assaulter has been identified as an Iraq war veteran & former military blogger.