Originally Posted by Clem von Jones

Yes, riding the hoods is the same as riding a long stem, and putting the bars lower without changing the stem reach also accomplishes the same thing. Both redistribute your weight toward the front which makes the bike handle better, feel less twitchy, helps prevent the front from wandering on steep climbs, keeps your center of gravity low on steep descents. It seems to me an important goal of fit should be to get the bars as low as possible.