Having a pilot at the front and a floor to ceiling window at his station is probably significantly worse than beam weapons not being up to expectation.
The Normandy isn't a battlecruiser. It's not suppose to engage in combat. Plus since it is designed for stealth, it would have limited sensors as well.
Are you trying to tell me that it's a ship designed to be piloted by looking out the window?
Why, it made perfect sense when they did it on Star Trek.
Umm, Star Trek ships had a huge display monitor for external cameras, not a window.