A37575:
I don't see that as automation dependency so much as an alarming lack of SA. You've got two visual cues - one of them right in front of you and neither of them particularly hard to spot, and when you spot the idle thrust lever, immediately assume an engine failure rather than see if moving the throttles manually resolves the issue.
That guy clearly needed some remedial training before he was put anywhere near the left seat again. Letting George take the strain is one thing, but paying so little attention to what George is doing is going to get you killed if something goes wrong.