LARGO -- A defense attorney for Aqib Talib said he believes a misdemeanor battery charge against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback can be resolved without a trial.

"I think there's a strong possibility there's going to be a resolution,' attorney Wes Trombley said in a pre-trial hearing Monday morning in Pinellas County Court. Talib did not attend.

Talib was arrested Aug. 19. The Florida Highway Patrol said he struck cab driver David Duggan in the neck and ear with a closed fist while riding from a St. Petersburg club to a Tampa hotel.

Judge Robert G. Dittmer asked if Trombley and prosecutors were discussing a pre-trial intervention -- an arrangement in which a defendant pleads guilty, then spends a year on probation without getting into more trouble, and ultimately has charges dropped.

Trombley told the judge "we're hopeful for something else," but declined to say after the hearing what that might be. He did say he hopes the matter can be resolved before the next pre-trial hearing, which is set for Jan. 14.

-- CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer