The 737 does require a bit of old-fashioned systems knowledge since it lacks a spoon-feeder (EICAS). I like flying things with EICAS or ECAM, but am comfortable enough in the physical world to know when a major failure will manifest itself in related sub-systems warnings. As should anybody who has a driver's licence, to say nothing of a pilot's certificate.
Sometimes deep science on the flight deck is useful, but often an imperfect systems understanding can lead you astray. The designers thought of most things that need redundancy or check valves or relays. But it is always useful to workshop scenarios both to review systems knowledge and to exercise your planning and adaptation muscles.
Control Wheel Steering....the -200 F/Os only mode. It may surprise some Boeing pilots to learn that the Airbus FBW performs exactly like CWS...take your hands off and it just keeps doing the last thing you commanded.