Quote:
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Ineligible A players may not advance beyond the expanded neutral zone on a legal forward pass play before a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone is in flight. If B touches the pass in or behind the neutral zone, this restriction is terminated. An ineligible is not illegally downfield if, at the snap, he immed iately contacts a B lineman and the contact does not continue beyond the expanded neutral zone.
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My understanding from others is that this last sentence means the ineligible A player may be in the expanded neutral zone
only if they are engaged in a block. However, I can find no where that states they
are illegally downfield if they are not engaged in a block.
Even the case book play notes a situation where "A1 moves about 3 yards downfield and finding no one to block, retreats behind the neutral zone", noting this is illegal kind of implies that if he had moved on 2 yards downfield there would have been no penalty.
Thoughts? Can a non-engaged A ineligible go into the expanded neutral zone?