Fed FBZ accidentally ends

[Robert Goodman]

A1 snaps on the A35. A2 at the A33 seems to unintentionally have the snap glance off him. The ball rolls to the A29, where A2 picks it up and runs to the A40, where he is down. Meanwhile A3, playing a position on A's line within 4 yards of where the ball was previously spotted, takes one step back before cutting B1 at the knees.

Does the recent Fed interpret'n on blocking below the waist help determine whether A3's action is legal? Do you decide on the basis of whether the errant snap looked intentional?

What do you do about cases where a player of A appears to carry out an assignment that involves clipping, blocking in the back, or blocking below the waist on a play where the ball appeared to have first accidentally left the FBZ without that player's being aware of it? Do you rule on the basis of strict liability because it's a safety rule (although it's not clear to me that the rule about blocking in the back is so)? Do you rule on the basis of what the player knew or should have known?