Bucs' Bruce Arians: Alvin Kamara Is 'Scarier' Player Than HOF RB Marshall Faulk

Ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' clash with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians paid Saints running back Alvin Kamara a massive compliment.

According to John Sigler of USA Today, Arians said, "I coached Marshall Faulk, and this guy's scarier."

Faulk is a Hall of Famer and considered one of the greatest dual-threat backs in NFL history. He was a key cog in the St. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" offense in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning MVP 2000.

The seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl champion rushed for 12,279 yards and 100 touchdowns in his 12-year career with the Indianapolis Colts and Rams, but what truly set him apart was his pass-catching ability.

Faulk racked up 767 receptions for 6,875 yards and 36 touchdowns during his career. Among backs, he is second all time in catches behind fullback Larry Centers, and he ranks fifth all time in total yards from scrimmage.

Arians got to see Faulk's dominance up close in 1998 when he was the Colts' quarterbacks coach, which was Faulk's final season in Indy.

Kamara has a long way to go before reaching Faulk's level, but there is no question his game and overall skill set bear resemblance to Faulk's.

In each of his first three seasons, Kamara finished with exactly 81 receptions. Similarly, Faulk had 80 or more catches in five straight years from 1998-2002.

So far this season, Kamara has 55 grabs for 556 yards and three touchdowns through seven games, putting him well ahead of his usual pace in all three categories.

With Saints No. 1 receiver Michael Thomas missing all but one game this season, Kamara has established himself as the No. 2 pass-catcher in the league in receptions among players at any position. He also ranks 15th in receiving yardage, no small feat for a running back.

Kamara has run the ball well also, rushing for 431 yards and four touchdowns while owning a yards-per-carry average of 5.0. He still lags behind Faulk in that area, though, as he has yet to record a 1,000-yard rushing season, while Faulk had seven.

Arians' fear of Kamara may stem from him scoring a pair of touchdowns in the Saints' Week 1 win over the Bucs this season, although the Tampa Bay defense did largely hold him in check, as he finished with just 16 rushing yards on 12 carries and five receptions for 51 yards.

If not for the touchdowns, that would have been Kamara's worst game of the season by far.

Sunday night's game is huge since the 6-2 Bucs hold a half-game lead over the 5-2 Saints for first place in the NFC South. If the Saints win, they will hold the tiebreaker.

To prevent that, Arians is well aware that his talented defense must keep Kamara from having a monster game.