No, they weren't, and quite frankly I get weary of rebutting this. His back surgery was what did him in. The early debates were horrific, and with each one, I would be on the edge of my seat, nervous, wondering when the screwup would come. But by the time he healed, toward the end, his performances were excellent, and I was completely relaxed because I knew he'd do a great job. Rick Perry does not have poor debate skills, and he most certainly doesn't have poor communication skills.
Well, I hope you are right. I really do. I am willing to believe the back surgery and medication caused him problems, but even near the end of his run I didn't find Perry's communication ability terribly effective. He struck me as especially strong at small group fundraisers and the like, and rather poor when he had to speak off the cuff to the media and even in the last few debates he participated in. Yes, he got better in the final debates, but I still felt he did not do as well in those as even Santorum and Gingrich did. In the end I concluded Perry was basically a paper tiger on a national level - great resume, but just lacking the core communications skills needed.
But if you are right about this then we will likely see Perry running again in 2016 or 2020. I am not from Texas or anywhere near it, so I don't really know Perry as much as perhaps you do. His resume is only getting stronger as it seems to me he is becoming more and more conservative as time passes. I'd be thrilled to support him again if the communication issues are resolved.