If you never look at your standby instruments how can you trust them if all electrical systems fail and all automation fails? It is your final backup so you should be comfortable using them alone.
Good pilots will get you to destination no matter what happens. Automation dependent pilots won't. A good example is the AF crash with full back side stick in a stall for over 3 minutes. Even if your airline doesn't require you to know how to hand fly do it anyway. Professional pilots all know how to hand fly, why shouldn't you be a professional pilot instead of a qualified pilot? Think about it. AF had two qualified pilots that couldn't hand fly.