So Ravina and Rav Ashi just had the words of the gemara they recorded
“If they had more to say, why didn’t they?”
I hope you’re not serious. Put aside any of the chiddushim of today that you’re not happy about. Or from the past few hundred years, for that matter. Did all of the Rishonim make up silly pilpulim too? ‘cuz there’s a heck of a lot that they put into the gemara’s words which is not at all explicit too. And don’t start with that nonsense that they weren’t medayek in their lashonos – you’re just showing that you’ve either never learned or never understood Rishonim at all.
PAA – I assume you’re showing from your last quote that he felt you need to learn the whole mesechta to properly understand. I think the implication clearly is, though, that he’s specifically referring to learning in depth. Superficial knowledge of dafim, just to be able to reference a question from another gemara on your own, without needing to see the tosafos or rashba do so first, is in no way related to that quote.