Ryan Clark Calls Sean Payton a Thug

Winston was still learning with Payton throughout his 2021 starts. One thing that's instructive is to look at Brees' 2006-08 passer rating and QBR -- during which he has said he was still working to master the offense -- and then compare those figures to Winston's 2021. Obviously Winston's sample size from 6 1/2 games was much smaller, but I think the similarities are telling:

2006 Brees: 96.3 passer rating, 66.7 QBR
2007 Brees: 89.4, 64.6
2008 Brees: 96.2, 65.7

2021 Winston: 102.8, 64.4

Those numbers are still Winston's career-high passer rating, and his second-best QBR by a hair. Devin White robbed the Saints from ever finding out what was possible with Winston at QB -- and early returns were promising.

As for Brees after 2008 -- once he felt like he mastered Payton's offense -- he took a clear statistical step forward. In 2009, his numbers jumped to a 109.6 passer rating and an 82.0 QBR -- and the Saints won a Super Bowl. Also, 2009 would be the first of nine seasons in which Brees would achieve a passer rating over 100.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BreeDr00.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WinsJa00.htm