For those who think that hat tricks are reserved for hockey players, Michael Crabtree says, "not so fast, my friend."
Just a few days clear of his 30th birthday, the Oakland Raiders wide receiver put on a football clinic against the New York Jets defense, hauling in all six passes he was targeted in, totaling 80 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
"He has great body control," said quarterback Derek Carr postgame. "The thing that young kids need to know about him is that every day Crab catches a ball in practice, he finishes to the end zone. So he's used to scoring. When you get a guy with talent like that – catching fades, doing everything – obviously it's easy if he goes up and gets it. Every route that he runs, every day he catches, he finishes. He does it in the offseason, he does it in training camp, he does it in practice. There's no secret when he has a day like this, why he got in the end zone. Not only does he have the talent, but he always works his tail off to make sure he's finishing."
Sunday's effort was the second time "King Crab" has found the end zone three times in a game in as many seasons, and his third touchdown in particular caused a stir at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, most notably for teammate Marshawn Lynch who broke into dance following the score.
All three of Crabtree's scores were impressive, but his third trip to the end zone is this week's Elite Performance Moment of the Week, presented by Bridgestone.
