Aqib Talib might not get to hold his helmet anymore

It looks like the first brawl of the 2009 Bucs season is in the house.

ProFootballTalk.com is reporting Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib attempted to swing his helmet and strike offensive lineman Donald Penn but instead belted Torrie Cox in the face on the backswing during OTA practice today.

Cox was injured on the battery attempt. Nice.

Now what could Talib possibly have be thinking? Swinging a helmet, a potentially deadly weapon, at a 300-pound lineman in May? The dude has serious problems.

Now Joe knows Penn has a reputation for being the No. 1 trash talker on the offensive line, but that’s on gameday. No matter what he might have been jawing at Talib today, it shouldn’t be enough to get that far under Talib’s skin. 

“It wasn’t really a fight,” Penn told the St. Pete Times. “It was a verbal fight. I don’t want it to be a bigger deal than it is. This stuff happens all the time, but you don’t hear about it in the media.”

Joe can’t help but wonder which Bucs player emerged or will emerge to lead the team through this minor setback. So much has been talked about a leader stepping up to replace Derrick Brooks.

It looks like Talib just rolled out the red carpet for a new leader to plant his flag. Joe hopes it’s already been done.