What made the PF think he could rotate without feeling the thrust output first ?
7000+ hrs of longhaul, widebody flying, staring out the window trying to keep his eyes open while the automatics kept him safe?
We've seen at least three serious incidents/accidents over the last few years (SQ at Munich, Asiana at SFO and now EK at DXB) where the pilots' poor understanding of these traps seems to have been a factor
They all forgot to fly the aircraft.