Quite possibly https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Denzelle-Good-Jersey , the perfect replacement for Adam Vinatieri was released in 2018." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Why the Colts let go of the perfect replacement for Adam Vinatieri New,30commentsQuite possibly, the perfect replacement for Adam Vinatieri was released in 2018.EDTShareTweetShareShareWhy the Colts let go of the perfect replacement for Adam Vinatieri Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsIn 2006, the Indianapolis Colts made a rare free agency splash and signed kicker Adam Vinatieri. Since then, he has been one of the team’s most consistent players. After re-signing with the Colts this offseason, Vinatieri is now on pace to have played more games with the team than future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Let’s rewind to the offseason of 2018. Obviously at that time, the topic of discussion wasn’t how the team was going to replace Vinatieri.Most people were focused on how the rehabilitation of Andrew Luck’s throwing shoulder was going. (Side note: he turned out just fine.)Back to 2018. Specifically, May 1st. On that day, the Indianapolis Colts signed kicker Michael Badgley to a 3-year deal, with a whopping $4,000 in guaranteed cash. Signing a kicker during the offseason is pretty much standard protocol for the Colts. The kicker is basically used as a “camp body” to preserve Vinatieri’s leg for the season. Meanwhile, the signee gets to show off his abilities for the other 31 teams in the league during the preseason, in the hopes of landing a job somewhere else.The Colts ended up releasing Badgley before the start of the regular season, but not before he had connected on all 5 of his field goal attempts in the preseason, with a long of 51 yards.Midway through the 2018 season, the Los Angeles Chargers signed Badgley to their active roster, and they haven’t looked back.The 23 year-old kicker only missed one field goal, notching an impressive 15 of 16 kicks made, including one from 59 yards out. So, if Badgley is so good - why did the Colts just let him go? Everyone knows that the 46 year-old isn’t getting any younger, but Vinatieri is still producing at an efficient level. Last season, a “down year” labeled by some, was right on par with his career average of 84.3% field goal percentage, making 85.2% of his kicks. However Clayton Geathers Jersey , field goal percentage isn’t the entire answer to the question. General manager Chris Ballard values locker room culture almost as much as performance.In an offseason interview when asked if the team plans to re-sign Vinatieri, Ballard had this to say: “I don’t know if I’ve been around a special-teams player that has as much impact as Adam does in the locker room from a positive standpoint” Ballard said. “All of our young guys that come in get to see Adam Vinatieri work, rehab, prepare his body every year, be a pro, handle the hard times, handle the good times.”Ballard’s response is the perfect answer to why the team didn’t replace Vinatieri with a younger, cheaper option.The NFL’s all-time leading scorer has become a leader for the young locker room in Indianapolis. While the Colts may have missed out on a quality young kicker, fans should trust in what Ballard is doing.The PFWA’s executive of the year chose veteran savvy and leadership as he continues to build a championship locker room. Oh, also, the Colts aren’t keeping a slouch with that Vinatieri guy. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — 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, 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 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 Nate Hairston Color Rush Jersey , 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, 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.Every move doesn’t pay 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, Carolina’s second-round pick in 2015 — 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 back 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,” Ballard said. “Everything we do matters. Our building understands that.”