Getting To Know Justin Tryon

When the New York Giants signed free-agent cornerback Justin Tryon on Tuesday, releasing veteran Brian Williams to make room for him, I did not know anything about Tryon. Now that I have been able to gather some information about the 27-year-old four-year veteran, I am wondering if Giants general manager Jerry Reese has pulled the proverbial midseason rabbit out of a hat with this move.

The more you read the more you wonder why Tryon was on the street looking for work rather in the starting lineup for the Indianapolis Colts, who released him just a week ago.

Asked about Tryon, Stampede Blue editor Brad Wells offered a strong endorsement.

"Seriously, do a search on Stampede Blue for Tryon," wrote Wells. "We've been talking about him for two weeks. Yes, he play. Yes, the Colts front office are morons for simply cutting him. Tryon himself said HC Jim Caldwell wanted to start him, but was overruled."

I took Wells' advice and did that search. Turns out he has been writing quite a bit about Tryon lately, and ripping the Colts for not putting him on the field. Read these for yourself:

Apparently, Justin Tryon Is A 'Forgotten Man' In The Colts Defense UPDATE - Stampede Blue

Jim Caldwell Took A Beating Last Night For Awful Coaching Job - Stampede Blue

BBS Is Alive, And Ranting About This And That - Stampede Blue

Now, Tryon is gone. The Colts secondary is worse than the one that ended Sunday night last week ranked 18th in the NFL. And for those of you who suggest he was dumped because he was a 'locker room cancer,' please shut up because you don't know what you are tlaking about. Tryon's best friend on the team is Jerraud Powers, and the coaches on defense loved Tryon's effort and competitiveness. Tryon should have been starting over Jacob Lacey, and with Melvin Bullitt's shoulder going kaput (gee, didn't see that one coming), even if No. 18 were happy, healthy, and under center this year, this team isn't Super Bowl caliber.

Colts Might Start Terrence Johnson At CB Against Steelers Sunday - Stampede Blue

It's no mystery that Jacob Lacey stinks as a corner. What baffles us is how the Colts thought this guy could start in the first place when it was clear as day that Justin Tryon was better. Even more odd is the notion of starting Johnson, an undrafted player out of California, PA, over Tryon. Tyron started six games last year for the Colts, and played pretty well. Johnson was signed to the practice squad last year after the New England Patriots dumped him twice.

In case you think all of that is just the rantings of a madman, or at least a blogger who is venting his frustration at the Colts organization, Kevin Ewoldt of SB Nation's Redskins site, Hogs Haven, seconds Wells' support of Tryon.

"The guy can definitely play. When the Redskins drafted him 4th round, we had high hopes, but he rarely saw action with us and was always a bubble guy," Ewoldt wrote. "His last off-season with the Skins, before we traded him to Indy, he spent a lot of time working with Darrell Green, which naturally fans thought would get him over the hump since adding cover skills to a track star = SUCCESS!! It didn't, but he had some success in Indy his first year I recall."

Tryon is a smallish 5-foot-9, 180-pound corner whose primary asset is his speed. He also has experience returning kicks, averaging 21.4 yards on 14 returns for the Colts last season.

Asked about Tryon Wednesday, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said simply "very quick and very competitive."

Tryon is, obviously, not an All-Pro. He seems like a guy with some ability, however, who was simply caught in the crossfire of a bad situation in Indianapolis. Let's see how quickly he can get up to speed and get on the field for the Giants.