Ok I sent in another:
I understand your enthusiasm in discussing Marshall Faulk as the first of the all around running back. Possessing the blocking, pass catching and running skills that can carry a team, however I think you may be short sighted in you coronation of Faulk as the first to do these things efficiently. Once upon a time, there was a back called Roger Craig who played for the 49ers well before the franchise sunk to its current mess. The west coast offense which was brought to San Francisco from Cincinnati by a coach named Bill Walsh, used this back as a double threat as receiver and running back. He also had the ability to pick up blitz coverage and was an asset to the passing game when blocking. After Roger Craig, a more finely tuned back, Thurman Thomas, played for the Buffalo Bills. He led the league in yards from scrimmage for 5 years straight. His pass catching ability was unsurpassed by any running backs in his era, and his ball running style was solid and punishing. He was one of the main components in propelling the Bills to 4 Super Bowl appearances in the 90's.
The evolution of the all purpose running back did not start with Marshall Faulk, reach back to the previous two decades and you will find the genesis of that type of running back.