INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard reverted to his old free-agent playbook. He re-signed his own players first.Instead of making a big first-day splash [url=https://www.thecoltslockerroom.com/authentic-malik-hooker-jersey]Womens Malik Hooker Jersey[/url] , he barely made a ripple on the second day. And he’s probably not finished yet.As the first big wave of free agency signings were announced Wednesday, Ballard made two under-the-radar moves — re-signing backup cornerback Chris Milton to a one-year deal and bringing back starting cornerback Pierre Desir with a three-year deal — before signing former Carolina receiver Devin Funchess to a one-year deal Thursday.It’s all part of the grand plan.“We have a very strict criterion of what we want to bring in,” Ballard said recently. “We want players that want to get better, want to be great, want to be a part of the team, that are willing to sacrifice sometimes their individual stats for the betterment of winning and being a good teammate. If they fit into that criterion, absolutely, they’ll fit in.”After taking some risks last season, Ballard is betting on Funchess, Carolina’s second-round pick in 2015. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he gives Andrew Luck a bigger receiver than he’s worked with in the past.And if Funchess replicates what he did in 2017, when he caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight touchdowns, he could emerge as the perfect complement to three Pro Bowl pass-catchers already on the roster: receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle.Last year, though, Funchess regressed. He had 44 receptions for 549 yards and four TDs and reinforced his reputation for drops. So Ballard reportedly gave Funchess a $10 million deal that could go up to as much as $13 million.“I think the Colts are a great fit and I think they’re ready to take that next step,” Funchess said Thursday during a conference call. “I think if we win the Super Bowl [url=https://www.thecoltslockerroom.com/authentic-andrew-luck-jersey]Andrew Luck Jersey White[/url] , everything will take care of itself.”Ballard has made this journey before.A year ago, he gambled on Ebron, the Detroit Lions’ underachieving first-round pick from 2014. Ebron wound up catching more touchdown passes in 2018 than any tight end in the league and made his first Pro Bowl appearance.Not every move pays off, though. Ballard also signed Ryan Grant, the Washington Redskins’ 2014 fifth-round pick, last year. Indy expected Grant would emerge as the No. 2 receiver. Instead, Grant’s playing time steadily dwindled.Now, Ballard is at it again, this time with Funchess — though it’s not a terribly risky move.The Colts went into free agency with the most cap space in the league and if Funchess doesn’t work out, the Colts could let him walk away next year and recoup all of their cap room — just like they did with Grant.But the Colts’ more important moves might have come before free agency opened Wednesday.Kicker Adam Vinatieri, the league’s career scoring leader, signed a one-year deal worth $3.875 million in January. Right guard Mark Glowinski agreed to a three-year, $16.2 million deal in February — a move that keeps Indy’s offensive line intact after allowing a league-low 18 sacks in 2018.Last week, versatile defensive tackle Margus Hunt decided to stay in Indy after the best season of his career. His two-year deal is worth $9 million. On Wednesday, Ballard brought back Desir for three years at $25 million and Milton, a key backup and special teams player. Desir recorded 79 tackles in 12 starts last season.And Ballard has said he would like to keep oft-injured Clayton Geathers — if he can.“We are going to make some tweaks to our program internally, but our mission will never change [url=https://www.thecoltslockerroom.com/authentic-darius-leonard-jersey]Darius Leonard Jersey White[/url] ,” Ballard said. “Everything we do matters. Our building understands that.”100 Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta The Colts have strung together back-to-back big wins over quality opponents, this time putting away the division rival Houston Texans at home to take sole ownership of the AFC South. Their defeat of the Texans on Sunday puts them in prime position to go on a tear and gain a stranglehold on this division, and they did it in classic Frank Reich style—as a total team effort. Let’s take a look at some winners and losers from this game.WinnersPhoto by Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesJacoby BrissettI am quick to point out Brissett’s struggles, so I want to be equally quick to give credit when he plays great. That’s exactly what he did Sunday. You could argue that he was facing a dreadful secondary—he was. However, he was also facing pressure in his face consistently as J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus did their best to make him miserable. Despite the pressure and the fact that the run game couldn’t seem to get going, leaving the offense utterly one-dimensional, Jacoby Brissett took just 1 sack and looked supremely confident as he moved around the pocket to avoid defenders and make plays. He linked up with 8 different targets for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions and looked unflappable under center. The only real issue with his play was something that has happened before this season and bears examination. His fumbled snap that resulted in a turnover could have been devastating, and plays like that are exactly the kind that let good teams back in games. This looked like a concentration issue, where Brissett was trying to go before he had the ball in hand. Not surprising, given the amount of pressure he faced all day, but something to clean up nonetheless.It is still too soon to say that Brissett is “the man” at the quarterback position, but if he logs a few more games like this against quality opponents, it will certainly make that call a lot easier.Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty ImagesDarius LeonardIf he didn’t do it so consistently, you’d think Darius Leonard’s knack for making game-sealing plays was a fluke. There was no doubt that the Maniac was back—he lead the team in tackles with 10, and his ridiculous pick of Deshaun Watson late in the game let the Colts kneel their way to a huge victory. His presence does more than just fill the stat sheet. The defense with Leonard on the field is more organized, gets up for plays, and overall benefits from the guy who is the heart of the unit. It is crazy to think they’ve managed to scrape through a tough stretch without him around [url=https://www.thecoltslockerroom.com/authentic-andrew-luck-jersey]Andrew Luck Jersey[/url] , but his return is huge, and with him in the lineup, they will always be a tough out.Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesZach PascalThe banged up wide receiver room of the Colts has a vacuum below T.Y. Hilton in terms of players who they need to step up and make plays. We know what Chester Rogers is--a reliable player who isn’t blowing a game wide open. Parris Campbell is out with an abdominal issue. Devin Funchess is on IR and won’t be back until at least week 11. Deon Cain? We’ll talk about him later. Into that vacuum has stepped Zach Pascal, the Swiss Army-receiver who is making big blocks when they need it, running the ball into the end zone when called upon, and even taking some shots downfield when Frank Reich dials up the play to do so. Mostly what he did Sunday, though, was make big plays whenever and wherever they needed him. His 106 yards for 2 touchdowns show just how much faith Jacoby Brissett and Frank Reich have in him as a player, and he didn’t disappoint. The locker room loves him, and right now he looks like the WR2 on this roster. Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty ImagesJustin Houston and Jabaal SheardI considered including these two separately, but from what I
