Calling a defense "bend but don't break" is kind of like calling a woman "pretty for her size." Somewhere in those descriptions, insult lurks.
You might as well label a defense "passive," "soft" or just plain "limp-wristed." No defense wants to consider itself "bend-but-don't-break" because of the connotations. Yet the numbers say three of the best teams in the playoffs are achieving bend-but-don't-break results, and the style undoubtedly will leave an imprint on the NFL ...