Eh... this view is strongly simplistic, but it is pushing me to write my "The Romans weren't idiots" Post.
They weren't idiots, not by a long shot. But I think some people get upset because of a misunderstanding: there is a fine difference between genius and competence. While the Greeks literally exploded with genius, their states and political regimes were frankly idiotic: the Romans, on the other hand, had the raw intelligence of peasants but could manage boring, bureaucratic affairs with a better understanding of people and the real world.
Romans are... frankly boring.