LAS VEGAS — The image of Kirk Cousins as the ultimate Goody Two-shoes preceded his arrival in Las Vegas.

Maybe it’s the fact that he now plays for the Raiders. Maybe Sin City is rubbing off on him. Whatever the reason, Cousins seems to have undergone quite the transformation.

And apparently, he’s ready to kick ass and take names if the situation calls for it.

Even if the name happens to be Maxx Crosby.

The Raiders’ menacing pass rusher got an earful, and nearly a fistful, from the suddenly not-so-mild-mannered Cousins during practice Friday.

Crosby, of course, is no shrinking violet himself. He often rules Raiders practices with an iron fist and a booming voice that can be heard from two or three fields away. Over the years, teammates have generally learned when to steer clear, when to let things go and when it’s probably best not to poke the bear.

Cousins, of all people, is already showing he has no intention of operating by those rules.

That became abundantly clear Friday when a fed-up Cousins got into Crosby’s grill after the Raiders defensive end hit his throwing arm not once, but twice during practice.

Cousins let the first one slide.

The second one?

Not a chance.

Immediately after Crosby again made contact with Cousins’ throwing arm following a pass, the quarterback charged toward him, delivered a not-so-subtle shove to the chest and accompanied it with some choice words and a stern warning to knock it off.

Consider it Cousins’ way of announcing there’s a new sheriff in Las Vegas.

And this one isn’t about to back down from Crosby simply because others have over the years.

A momentarily stunned Crosby quickly went into attack mode himself, getting directly into Cousins’ face. The two continued barking at each other until teammates stepped between them and broke things up.

Nobody threw a punch. Nobody got hurt. And within moments, practice moved on.

But Cousins had already made his point.

Cross the line and there will be a price to pay. And the status, reputation or stardom of the guilty party doesn’t matter in the least.

In fact, there was something encouraging about seeing the Raiders quarterback willing to stand toe-to-toe with the most intimidating player on their roster. Cousins wasn’t looking for a fight. But he certainly wasn’t going to run from one, either.

“That’s our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team,” Raiders tight end Michael Mayer said. “You want him to have some edge to him, which he does.”