When the Colts selected Delone Carter in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the general sense was that Javarris James' days with the Colts were numbered.
Yes, he's the little cousin of former-Colts great Edgerrin James, and he did have a decent rookie year despite being undrafted. While he only averaged 2.4 yards rushing per carry, he ran with authority, was clutch in short-yardage situations, and was decent at pass blocking. He also scored six rushing touchdowns, one shy of Ryan Matthews (7) and tying him with LeGarrette Blount. Matthews was drafted in the first round, and both were fulltime starters. Javarris never started, and wasn't even on the Colts squad for the first month of the 2010 season.
But, with Carter now on the roster, chosen specifically to assist the Colts in goal-line and short-yardage, Javarris seems expendable.
He also didn't do himself any favors on Thursday night when he was arrested in Fort Myers, Fl and charged with misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession.
Yeah, that was dumb, Javarris. Potheads don't play well to Midwestern crowds. Just ask Brandon Rush of the Indiana Pacers.
Now, obviously, getting caught with weed is not horrible, but it does continue to poke holes in this silly notion that the Colts are some kind of squeaky clean organization that only drafts and signs choir boys to the roster. Within the span of just one year, we've seen both John Gill and Pat McAfee get arrested for SERIOUS public intoxication; Fili Moala was busted for driving while drunk; and now we have Javarris James getting caught with weed.
Slowly but surely, it appears we're becoming the new Cincinnati Bengals.
At some point, Indiana fans will begin to tune out the Colts if behavior like this persists, just as they have tuned out the Indiana Pacers. Conseco Fieldhouse had the lowest home attendance of any arena in the NBA last year, and the Pacers made the playoffs, no less. A big reason for that is, after years of seeing idiots like Stephen Jackson, Jamal Tinsely, and Marquis Daniels soiling the Pacers brand with their off-the-court stupidity, the fans have lost faith in the Pacers ability to field a truly professional team that adheres to the ideals and values of the community. Many of those former-Pacers fans turned their attention to the Colts, who they felt more accurately reflected their values.
Obviously, the team has no control over someone like Javarris while the owner-imposed lockout is still in effect. However, Javarris' case is not isolated. We're seeing a pattern here.
Personally, I don't think this is a very big deal. I've never heard anything negative about Javarris, and he played his butt off in 2010. However, this incident does reflect badly on his character. Instead of doing everything he possibly can to stay in shape and be sharp and ready for the 2011 season, he's getting arrested with weed. Sends a bad message, and it suggests that without the structure of the 'normal' NFL schedule, he's kind of running amok and being a dumb kid in South Beach.
Tip to peytonman and superchunk