they will go quicker if you germ them tho,
Some believe that if you use a proper growing medium and germinate right in the soil you will not only get as fast or faster germination, of equal or better ratios, but also have more vigorously growing plants.
While I never charted things and kept track and can only go by memories and observations I tend to believe that is if not flat out totally accurate that it is at least likely to often times be the results of germinating that way.
The problem is most people who try it do not use a growing medium that is conducive to consistently holding the proper amount of moisture for good germination. Because of that the paper towel method, that I will use though I use a freshly washed very well rinsed wash cloth instead of paper towels because of the texture the beans are really surrounded well by moisture with a goodly source to rely on, but are not being drowned, and I have that in Tupperware instead of using a plastic wrap or some other sort of covering .. anyway it seems to be easier and it seems to be faster and it seems to be more reliable
. but it is only because of the growing medium someone is attempting to germ in not being the best that makes things different.
It might be GREAT soil to grow in but sometimes it is not the best to germ in. Sometimes you need to make a small pocket of a different soil mixture, something like the size of a small pot of soil, in the middle of your pot where you will germ your beans in the soil.
Most people will not go to such efforts when they can just dampen some paper towels and plunk down their beans and cover it up and wait a bit.
What actually makes paper towel germing the best or the most common is its simplicity, its removing of some margin of error, though it does add a slight new and different degree, that being damaging tor root of a popped bean when placing it in the soil. It will happen now and then. Paper towel germing will not make for better plants, but it will make increased germination ratios easier for most to keep high so most they will go that route
as I said even I will do now and then.
The tradeoff seems to be it being easier to maintain high germ ratios at the cost of some plant vigor. As easy as it can be to grow herb and as naturally vigorous of a grower as it is, most will gladly sacrifice that bit of plant vigor for it being easier to keep that successful germ ratio as high as possible.