Bruce Arians on Alvin Kamara: ‘I coached Marshall Faulk, and this guy’s scarier’
It didn’t take long for opposing NFL coaches to develop a healthy respect for Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans Saints running back has shredded every defense he’s come across, leaving everyone from Pete Carroll to Bruce Arians flabbergasted with what he’s done against their best defenders.
When previewing Week 9’s rematch with Kamara (who gained 67 yards of offense against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, scoring two touchdowns), Arians offered the highest praise Kamara has received yet, saying: “I coached Marshall Faulk, and this guy’s scarier.”
Faulk, of course, is a New Orleans native who played for the Indianapolis Colts when Arians was working as their quarterbacks coach. Faulk’s Hall of Fame-worthy abilities were on clear display in Indianapolis, though he wouldn’t really come into his own until being traded to the St. Louis Rams (where he won three consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards, as well as Most Valuable Player in 2000).
Kamara still has a ways to go before he’ll join Faulk’s company, but he’s on the right track. He is the only player in the NFL to eclipse 1,000 all-purpose yards (with 1,031 in just seven games) this year.
But those numbers and projected on-pace stats aren’t what has Arians worried. The weekly highlight reels Kamara has been creating, sometimes against Arians’ own squad, are heavy on his mind. Maybe his defense can come up with a better strategy to contain Kamara on Sunday night.
But with New Orleans’ top three wide receivers likely to return to action, Tampa Bay might have even more concerns than stopping the next Marshall Faulk.
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