Scrimmage kick, punt specifically. When does the protection begin and end for the kicker?
I am also curious since a snap ends when the ball hits the ground, if a deep "snap" hits the ground, does protection end since the ball would technically be a fumble at this point.

The ball hitting the ground has nothing to do with whether there is protection ends or not. That's a common mythical belief by announcers, fans, coaches, and players.

Protection begins when the kicker releases the ball to kick it. If you can tackle him before he releases the ball, then it's legal.

He is afforded protection when he becomes a kicker 9-4-4. This is the point in time when he kicks the ball 2-23 2-30-8. His protection ends when he has had reasonable opportunity to regain his balance. Now when contact is unavoidable because it is not reasonably certain that a kick will be made then you can have an untouched kick and the kicker run into or roughed and still not have a foul 9-4-4.

Correct. The question is always the same. "Was the contact aviodable?"

Be careful on this one...roughing is roughing. This rule provides a little bit of leeway on contact with the kicker, but if a legal kick is made and a player becomes a kicker he is afforded protection, and if he gets roughed then call it. Remember, a personal foul should be called regardless of the situation.

Having said that, IMO there is more of a fine line between a no call and "running into" than there is between "running into" and roughing.

Jonathan

Most of my quote was word for word from the book.

Roughing is roughing when it is roughing.

Under the circumstances I quoted it MAY not be a foul to contact the kicker in a manner not ruled to be a personal foul after he has kicked the ball.