Having spoken with Johnny a fair deal on these topics heres what i think he meant by his comments:
He admitted dragging a mattress to a crag once before the invention of Pads to try a bold solo and he said if pads were around he would of probably used them.
His issue with the development of pad use to ground up routes is this.... These routes were done in the best style possible at the time. The climbers did their best to make them safe - or at least safe enough for them to mentally undertake. With all the advances in equuipment, standards and training, Johnny would ideally like to see advances in mental control too least all the strong climbers forget how to handle danger and fear. Johnny developed his boldness while leading the smaller grit routes and then transfered this skill onto the much higher mountain crags and sea cliffs. Imagine if the V14 strong climber types only soloed safe routes on grit - they'd fall to bits on a larger more serious route (one that pads couldn't protect). It would signify the end of development in terms of hard trad. A true step forward in terms of style would be for the strongest climbers to attempt the harder bolder lines ground up solo or on lead.
It's the beauty of trad in a way - you not only need to be able to do the moves, you need to be able to fully KNOW you can and will do the moves. It's the mixture of head games and difficulty that make it different.
If you wanted to climb a bit of rock at any costs and not risk injury - pads or toprope. If you want the full experience of climbing the route up that bit of rock then it's a lead or solo without pads.
