What Pierce lacks in elusiveness and ability he makes up for in toughness, as his grinding performance against a tough Texans front last week demonstrated (24 carries, 65 yards, 1 touchdown).
Anything in between is liable to end in toughness.
An edge in toughness is hardly a good quality to cede to your opponent.
She was a fair match in toughness for John Wayne in the western "Rooster Cogburn" (1975).
They lack a little bit of size up front, but they make up for it in toughness.
If public opinion goes sour, in these days of the permanent campaign, the administration may lose its will to persist in toughness.
At one point Jahan realises that the secret of his master's success lies not in toughness or indestructibility, "but in his ability to adapt to change and calamity, and to rebuild himself, again and again, out of the ruins".
Last summer, acting on a bet, he competed in an annual three-mile race up and down Mt. Marathon, in his home town of Seward, which may rival the Iditarod in toughness.
He wanted desperately to please his coach, Tom Izzo, whose factory-like program specializes in toughness and churns out Final Four appearances, but Payne acknowledged he hadn't yet adjusted to Izzo's coaching style.
It leaves states to define the minimum that children need to know, but outdoes Texas in toughness by requiring all children in each subgroup to reach mastery in a dozen years, a goal the White House now deems impossible.
After climbing the Galibier and the Madeleine peaks, both rated beyond category in toughness, the riders will face a 22-kilometer (13.7-mile) slog up to Courchevel on a grade of 6.2percentt.
