Michael Crabtree tried unsuccessfully to Talib-proof his chain before Sunday’s game

Though he possibly could have avoided all of the nonsense by just not wearing his gold chain while playing against Aqib Talib, at least Michael Crabtree had the foresight to realize something might happen on Sunday.

That old saying about shame on me if you fool me twice apparently doesn’t apply to Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

By now you’ve probably seen video and read plenty about Crabtree’s wild brawl with Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib. The bad blood that started that incident was due to Talib snatching a gold chain from right off Crabtree’s neck when they faced off last season. What wasn’t immediately apparent after Sunday’s donnybrook — and Talib tried to hide by playing innocent — was that the Broncos corner pulled Crabtree’s chain off again during the play that started all of the punch-throwing.

That begs the question of why, other than pure machismo and an unwillingness to back down, Crabtree would wear his chain in action for another Broncos-Raiders game. Turns out he actually planned ahead, but …

There are so many questions to be answered here. What brand of tape did Crabtree use? Did he make sure it was tucked as well as taped? Did Talib’s desire to snatch the chain perhaps merely increase when he saw it was taped down, as if it was a challenge to be answered?

Next: Check out the latest FanSided.com NFL power rankings

Sadly, there’s a chance we may never know. What is fairly certain is that Crabtree and Talib, who were both justifiably ejected on Sunday, may also be hearing from the NFL about games they will be sitting out involuntarily. That should give the receiver plenty of time to rethink his taping strategy and the corner an equal amount of time to ponder his next chain-snatching tactic.