This basically sums it up, thread over lol.
No... thread not over... Uncle Larry...
Do you remember your own words in one of my thread?
You said: "
There's a way to play simply that makes it sound great. It requires nuance and experience. I think a lot of guys play lots of notes because if there is a place where it would fit, why not? I can think of many reasons why not. You can play a simple beat, in a complex way, with dynamics, inner kit individual volume relation knowledge/control, barely audible ghosts, and much more, but most of all it has to have feel. A sense of just the right touch to put on a song is something that can be learned. I'm proof, I wasn't born with it.
A distilled drum part that feels right beats a more verbiose drum part that doesn't put feeling as Job 1 wins every time for me."
So in other words, the red highlights of your quote imply a sound knowledge of the instrument, not just feel and playing a simple pattern, to get a groove going like you've explain in your quote requires a sound technical knowledge or skill, to pull out ghost notes efficiently alongside dynamics with a killer groove that has feel and emotion is one of the hardest thing to do, much harder than throwing fills left right and center.
Furthermore, a "groove" can be intricate and complex to play, sometimes more difficult than what's called "technical drumming".
So ideally you'll need both, groove AND technique, it's not a "either or" type of question IMO, one can hardly exist without the other, is what you chose to do with the skills you have that count.
9 times out of 10, I find that the music tells me what should I play (originals, not covers), I think I groove, but I'm also busy enough on the kit, much depends on the style too, some music definitely needs a simple pattern, some others a little more spice and sometimes overplaying just fit the bill, it's all drumming to me, you play what you feel fits the music.
I think I also know what Mary is asking in a more simple way, am I more a Steve Jordan or a Thomas Lang type of player, my guess is I'm more a Steve type of drummer if that makes sense.