if you set an aggresive enough frame cap, you won't get tears, yes (120 fps on a 144 hz container is enough). but there will still be "rogue" frames here and there. and most people do not use aggresive caps, they use super strict limits (141 fps on 144 hz container. such a strict limit will shoot over 144 fps consistently, despite "rivatuner" showing a consistent 141 fps output. it is impossible for it to not shoot above 144 fps or below 141 fps with such a strict limit.
it really depends on your mindset. i always use a global 120 fps cap on my 144 hz container so i never get tears (ALMOST) with vsync disabled.
people who use strict limits will get tears here and there, which led them to believe that vsync is a hard requirement alongside with gsync/freesyn to get rid of tears. its a bit of misconception but I made my peace with it and I don't argue about that much, since it has been spread as a gospel thanks to "blurbusters" and their "wisdom"
i literally had raging fights with some of the communities, claiming i would not get rid of tears with a 120 fps cap on a 144 hz container. i even recorded slow mo videos to show that it does not tear. they still believed i somehow cheated / did something different etc. etc.
so yeah, no point in arguing
if you're well below your cap, you will never get affected by Vsync's input lag behaviour anyways. say, you play at locked 60 fps on a 144 hz container, and vsync is also enabled, you won't get hit by input lag penalty. that is why it became a gospel, with that setup, you won't hit input lag bound states most of the time, which is why people suggest it (not me, I still prefer a 120 fps cap)