So what's not to like about "smooth"?
I would humbly suggest that the very last time you want to be rough with the controls is when you are in a real critical situation. You may only have one chance to get it right so that smooth (but positive, of course) is the only way to go.
I have always believed in visualising the attitude you want out of your aircraft and then trying to make that happen with smooth control inputs. If it won't move in the right direction you put more in but still smoothly.
Okay, you can get into these "stick in all four corners of the cockpit" situations but they are extremely rare in civil aviation. I have only seen that in really rough air in real life or in windshear training in the sim, when, yes, all bets are off and you are just fighting to survive.
You know how the aircraft is going to try to self-recover from the stall anyway, when the nose is going to drop. Often it can just be a matter of stopping pulling to allow it to drop smoothly, along with a smooth rolling of the wings to level.
Why a "smooth" roll? Aileron reversal! You whack in a big, rough roll input and you may get a big surprise from that sudden increase in Alpha on the "down" wing.
There is no one right way to fly, of course but I was taught, and practice has shown me, that "smooth" is better than "rough". Check out that crazy Bob Hoover routine with the Shrike. Do you see him being rough on the controls?
Once the report on this crash comes out let us look at the graphs to see if the controls were handled roughly or smoothly. I know what I am betting on but I am happy to wait to see what went on there.