The lower bonuses part was just referring to the d20 rolls, not skill rolls. I did mention the roll-under nature of skills, though my phrasing was probably a bit unclear; I should have said "Given that you're either not using a skill system (in which case stats don't really matter) or you're using a roll-under system (which doesn't use your stat bonus), knowing that you're likable but clueless is more important than knowing your exact stats."
If you have mediocre scores in 2e you're certainly going to suck at some skills, but if you have any bonus at all that's generally good enough for skill purposes--the difference between a 15 and an 18 is just 4%, while the difference between a 15 and an 18 in 3e is 10%, so pumping your stats as high as possible isn't as necessary to be competent at skills.