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I hate it when the judgement of officials comes from the "Nothing good can come from letting this go" department. That's not our job. If it was, we'd kill EVERY play the moment we see a penalty. We don't do that - so why the motivation to do that in this case? The defense should have the opportunity to decline an illegal shift penalty - don't take that away from them.
You just want a rule of thumb? Here it is.
If, after seeing the back move, you would have let him reset had the ball not been snapped at that moment, then you have an illegal shift. If you would NOT have let him reset had the ball not been snapped, you have a false start.
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"Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Christy Mathewson
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