I disagree. The new rule says it’s not a foul if *prior to the contact* the ball is muffed or it’s obviously a fake. If the contact occurs first, it’s still a foul.
I'm with ya. I overlooked the, "...prior to the defensive contact...," language.
As you state, even a muff of a direct snap to the holder will take about a second, from the start of the snap movement to the ball falling from the holder's hands. So, yeah, kinda moot.
The only scenario that I can see that might fit this language is the ball slipping from the snapper's hands as he is snapping it, and falling loose on the ground. Technically, that is not a 'muff,' but simply a ball that is loose from a backward pass. For these intents and purposes, though, I would think it would fall under the same category as a muff. It will most likely fall under the category of, "...obvious there will be no place kick attempt...," in very short order, anyway.
So as not to influence anybody incorrectly, I will strike the language in my previous post.
Thanks.