Buccaneers' Arians: Alvin Kamara 'scarier' than Marshall Faulk

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians may be scared of Alvin Kamara's talent on the field, but he certainly isn't afraid to admit it.

Arians even ranked Kamara ahead of a Hall of Fame running back as the Buccanneers prepare to clash with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

"I coached Marshall Faulk, and this guy's scarier," Arians said Tuesday, according to Fox Sports' Sara Walsh.

Arians was the Indianapolis Colts' quarterbacks coach during the 1998 campaign and saw firsthand what Faulk could do. The talented running back put up a league-leading 2,227 yards from scrimmage for Indianapolis that season.

The Buccaneers held Kamara to just 67 yards from scrimmage in the Saints' Week 1 win over Tampa Bay, but Arians knows his defense faces a tall task trying to contain the running back a second time.

"He's got great speed, he's got great hands, he's got wide-receiver skills but he's a hell of a running back. He's a tough tackle. I thought in the first ballgame we did a good job, but he's expanded his role," Arians told reporters.

"Drew (Brees) is really doing a nice job of finding him in the passing game and (Saints head coach) Sean (Payton) is putting him in position to be successful. We've got our hands full. Hopefully, we can do as good of a job this time."

Kamara has put up big numbers this season, leading the NFL with 987 yards from scrimmage. The 25-year-old has also had little trouble finding the end zone, scoring seven touchdowns thus far.

The Buccaneers will look to contain Kamara with the NFL's stingiest run defense. Tampa Bay has allowed just 70.4 rushing yards per game in 2020.

Tampa Bay and New Orleans are currently locked in a tight race for the NFC South crown, with the 5-2 Saints narrowly trailing the 6-2 Buccaneers.

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