The only categories he was THAT much better in was efficiency with the TD to INT ratio. And since he was throwing the ball HALF as much as he was in Tampa Bay...that should be expected (and was probably by design from Payton.) Based on Winston's per-game numbers between here and when he was in Tampa Bay, Payton seemed to have him on a short leash. He either didn't trust him or he was still trying to figure out his strengths/weaknesses. However, since Payton only had Winston for a total of 8 games, it's too small of a window to fully know that answer imo. Could he have kept up attempting only 16 passes per game? Possibly...but unlikely. First, the teams they played during that stretch had a combined 10-9 record so it's a luxury they could afford. Secondly, the lowest attempts per game that season were by Seattle with 29...almost twice that (highest was Tampa Bay with 49.)
The numbers below are based on per-game averages at Tampa Bay and under Payton in New Orleans. As you can see, Winston was only attempting half the passes per game that he did in Tampa Bay.
| Comp % | Att | Comp | Yards | TD | INT |
| Bucs | 61.6 | 35 | 22 | 274 | 1.7 | 1 |
| Saints/Payton | 61.3 | 16 | 9 | 155 | 1.2 | .3 |