This is a long thread!
If a pitot breaks off completely it can generate a stall warning. In poor visibility/ thunderstorm/ night it could cause the instant stall recovery actions. Couple this with the incorrect speed readout and this could cause things to go wrong quite quickly.
Simulator training (recurrent). I completely agree that most companies have this honed to the core these days, with just the standard OPC/LPC items covered plus other "scenarios" which often times are unrealistic, to get the "ticks in the boxes". However, this is changing. In future it will be possible to have much more crew specific training - so if for example, you feel you have a weak area, or it is shown in your training file, training will be targetted towards improving that area of knowledge/ skill. This is a huge leap forward and hopefully most airlines will be using this system soon.
I don't agree with all the comments going on about how Airbus is this giant computer that can over-ride a pilot. Yes its systems are complex but it has probably saved plenty of lives too. I think most Airbus pilots are very respectful of the complexity and get it. Boeings can and have crashed due to errors of the crew, for example, thinking the autothrust is in when its not, and stalling the aircraft. Now and Airbus wouldn't let you do that.... So to say all Airbuses are rubbish because they have protections and all Boeings are great because they don't have the same level of protections is rather too simplistic.