He’s got a vendetta?

It was funny for a little while, and at one time, he even had a half-decent point, but it’s about time Skip Bayless give up his seemingly-personal vendetta against Terrell Owens.

Today, as I half-watched ESPN 2’s First Take, Bayless blasted T.O. for the 1785th time, this time for the note that he left on his locker yesterday, in reference to this weekend’s matchup between the Cowboys and Patriots, and the matchup of the two 81’s, the ‘Original,’ meaning him, and the ‘other,’ meaning Randy Moss.

When Owens was with the Eagles and being unruly, disruptive, disorderly T.O., I didn’t feel too bad about what Bayless said. And, even when Owens created a few issues last season, I didn’t mind it that much. Owens’ impact on the field was one thing, but he wasn’t exactly being the best teammate or most productive part of the locker room.

But, come on Skip, give it a rest. You’ve been recycling the same comments for a few years now, and it’s becoming less and less amusing, and more and more redundant and annoying. Then again, it is Bayless being Bayless, ranting for ranting’s sake, whether or not he’s actually making a point (see: Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Peyton Manning) or if he’s playing favorites.

It is worth saying though, that T.O. has put himself in a position to be criticized, with his past behavior, but Bayless makes it seem like he’s unable to change. Can’t a guy have a little fun without it supposedly causing trouble? The game would be boring without guys like T.O. But, even T.O. knows that there’s a time to turn it down a notch or two.

Sure, Owens is still going to make some waves. Sure, there was the celebration thing earlier this season, and he did vent his frustrations openly on Monday night, and he did write that note, but he‘s improved by leaps and bounds in terms of his demeanor and overall character, and that‘s almost as important as him making a big touchdown catch.

You can get riled up on this note if you want, but like Stephen A. Smith (who, combined with Bayless, makes for the loudest duo in sports), but it was a) T.O. having a little fun and being T.O., b) actually putting more pressure on himself, than giving Moss or the Patriots grounds to get riled up, and c) showing how focused he is about Sunday’s matchup, because, as the note says, he‘s going to let his play do the talking, and keep quiet until after the game‘s over.

T.O.’s not causing any problems on the team this year, and seems far more focused on the prize than he has before, which means he’s become about the team, and not Team Owens, like he used to be. Not only does the new, more even-keeled coach help, but so does knowing that he’s not getting any younger and that this year and the next couple might be his best chance to get the championship that has thus far eluded him.

A fine example is Monday night’s game. Instead of berating Tony Romo when things were going very poorly Monday night, he had his back, even when he wasn’t having his best night himself. He had a couple of pivotal drops, but instead of scowling about an off-night, he was celebrating like a wild man, with the team, when Nick Folk’s field goal went through.

And, both Wade Phillips and Romo know that T.O. needs the ball, not to satisfy his ego, but to make the offense as productive as possible. His presence is going to be as key as ever on Sunday, because if T.O. plays like T.O., the 81 vs. 81 matchup will live up to its hype, and so will the matchup between the teams.

But, even if the Cowboys come out on top, and T.O. comes up big, Bayless will likely continue to talk, until someone shuts him up, or T.O. shoves a championship down his throat, like Manning did.

If there’s anyone who can’t change, it’s Bayless.