The Monsters of the Midway had developed a reputation for a very stingy and suffocating defense, a dynamic special teams, and an offense that was not explosive or potent but effective when it had to be. They were also the NFC Champions of 2006 and smothered opposing offenses at home. Given the state of the weak NFC, the Chicago Bears were considered the team to beat this year.

I wouldn’t call it a beating, but rather a mauling. The Boys went into Soldier Field last Sunday night and completely dominated Da Bears!

There were concerns going in that the Dallas offense was finally going to meet their match and that Tony Romo wasn’t quite ready for this kind of defense especially on the road on the national stage. Many wondered if Rex Grossman might finally break out of his shell vs. the Cowboys’ suspect secondary freeing up RB Cedric Benson to explode onto the scene.

Not tonight.

Dallas continued to display their resolve, resiliency, refinement, and even some very necessary roughness. Bears CB Charles Tillman groaned as he took off his jersey after the game. He said, “The most physical game I played this year.” Of course, Tillman was assigned T.O. most of the game and paid dearly as Owens put on a clinic and showed muscle going after balls and juking out defensive backs.

And, Tony Romo was not a bit fazed by this daunting defense. He struggled a bit in the first half but came out with all guns blazing in the second half thanks in part to OC Jason Garrett’s continued cutthroat play-calling. Romo showed poise, and his decision-making was excellent after an early INT.

RB Marion Barber III appears to be from another planet as he scored two more times. This guy knows nothing else but how to play with immense fortitude, vigor, and stubborness. The two-back RB system has its advantages and disadvantages and I think Julius Jones is a nice compliment to this tandem, but I do expect that J.J. will be with another team next year.

Defensively, Dallas steam-rolled Rex Grossman and made him look like a rookie. CB Anthony Henry had two more INT’s (one for a TD) and LB Demarcus Ware showed up three weeks late and got two sacks. They simply reversed roles when Chicago had the ball.

But, it’s only been three games. The excitement of this early success is definitely rampant among Cowboy fans nationwide and local media, but this is just the kind of trap that can mess with the players’ minds and invites a spirit of over-confidence that can spread like cancer.

The key is having stark focus and mental sharpness (meaning no more 12-penalty games) against every single opponent the rest of the season. If they can manage this crispness and hone their game plans on both sides of the ball, then flight arrangements to Arizona just might be reality.