GIANT NOTES

It’s the playoffs, everything is clicking just right for the Giants, players are getting healthy just in time, and guess what? The Giants need a new long-snapper.

They signed one yesterday, and it’s Trey Junkin, a 41-year-old veteran of 281 regular season games and four playoff games.

No, this is not a recurring nightmare, even though the Giants have gone through two snappers during a turbulent season for the kicking operation. Dan O’Leary, who has done just fine in his five games since replacing Bob Jones as the snapper for punts, tore a thumb ligament in last Saturday’s 10-7 overtime victory over the Eagles and won’t be able to snap on Sunday when the Giants face the 49ers in an NFC wild-card game.

The Giants were busy yesterday holding tryouts for a new long-snapper, something they were forced to do in late November after Jones sailed a snap over the head of punter Matt Allen, causing a safety in Houston in a game the Giants lost to the expansion Texans, 16-14. Jones was waived soon after and O’Leary has snapped without incident ever since.

Junkin, who has played for five NFL teams (most recently the Cardinals last year) in a career that started in 1983, was with Jim Fassel when Fassel was an assistant in Arizona.

“I have a lot of faith in him,” Fassel said. “We need a guy with experience to step in and help us right now.”

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Not only did the 49ers have to play a meaningless game on Monday night, not only did they blow a 17-0 lead and lose to the Rams 31-20, but the Niners also may have suffered a damaging injury heading into the playoffs.

Jason Webster, a starting cornerback, sprained an ankle stepping on a Rams receiver in the back of the end zone and had to leave the game. His foot was placed in a protective boot and he’ll be listed as questionable to face the Giants.

If Webster can’t go, rookie Mike Rumph would likely start, weakening the 49ers secondary depth.