I've grown to think "bend don't break" is synonymous with "play scared so the loss is moral victory". In the modern era of QB and defenseless player safety, defensive players and coaches need to do whatever it takes to suffocate the ability of the opponent to move the football. Good defense finds ways to frustrate the opponent. Letting your opponent have some success and hope they falter on their own defies anything competitive . "Bend don't brake" becomes "give them an inch and they take a foot". It just doesn't work anymore maybe it never did.