Does the center have to snap the ball?
If he gets out of his stance after the line is set, it's a false start and a 5 yard penalty. The only way he can run the ball is on a center eligible play. It's complicated. Everyone lines up on one side of the center. He snaps the ball to the QB, who hands it back between his legs. Unfortunately, he has to report himself eligible first, which the ref explains to the defense. If you've ever seen the movie M*A*S*H, they ran the play, and this was before the center had to report eligible. The center scored on the play. Hope this helps.
What does a long-snapper in football do?
In case you don't know, the person that "snaps" the ball is the center who passes or hikes the ball back to the quarterback. So a long snapper is the center being able to snap or hike the ball back a great distance, like in the shotgun formation.
Is "long snapping" really that hard?
Once you have mastered the proper technique, no it's not particularly hard, but that takes hours and hours of practice. However, it is a very thankless job. The only time you get noticed is when you mess up, and then after the fact you have ignorant people asking, "Is it really that hard?" For those of you that say "Its just throwing it through your legs," I say get a football and try it. Then get the biggest guy you know to smash you in the head/shoulders area as you do it, and I believe you will get a new appreciation for those guys.