INDIANAPOLIS — New Colts general manager Chris Ballard arrives in Indianapolis with the type of knowledge in roster building that Colts owner Jim Irsay talked about last offseason.

Irsay, knowing the financial limitations the Colts were going to face after giving out new contracts to the likes of Andrew Luck, Dwayne Allen, Anthony Castonzo and T.Y. Hilton, said they were going to have to build their roster through the draft and develop those players.

Ballard is coming from Kansas City where he was the team’s director of football operations and had success picking talented players.

As the whole world watches, Chapecoense continues to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

On Saturday, exactly 54 days after a plane crash killed most of Chapecoense’s squad, the Verdao played its first fixture since the tragedy, drawing Palmeiras 2-2 in a friendly at Arena Conda.

Of the 26 players named to Chapecoense’s squad, 22 were new faces, while the four others were footballers from last year’s squad who fortunately didn’t board LaMia Flight 2933. To fill the spots in the Verdao’s first team, footballers were brought in from other clubs and promoted from the youth team.

Before the friendly kicked off, the three players to survive the plane crash took the pitch and, in an emotional scene, lifted the Copa Sudamericana trophy. It was en route to the first leg of the final in Medellin, Colombia that the tragedy unfolded, and Atletico Nacional requested to CONMEBOL that Chapecoense be crowned champion of the tournament. South American football’s governing body obliged.

Neto is miraculously walking without crutches, Alan Ruschel required spine surgery, and Jackson Follman had part of his right leg amputated. The plane crash claimed the lives of 71 people, including 19 members of Chapecoense’s squad and 20 journalists joining the club for what was set to be the biggest match in its 43-year history.

Once the friendly got underway, Palmeiras, joined by a substantial number of travelling supporters, opened the scoring in the 11th minute. However, three minutes later, Chapecoense equalised, as Grolli scored the Verdao’s first goal since the plane crash, giving the club and its fans something to celebrate for the first time since Nov. 28.

After a four-week search, the New York Jets are poised to hire Saints receivers coach John Morton as their new offensive coordinator, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Morton will replace Chan Gailey, who held the job for two years before announcing his retirement two days after the 2016 season ended.

Morton, 47, will be the Jets’ fifth coordinator in the past seven years, and the second under coach Todd Bowles. Morton and former Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey were the only known candidates.

Previously, Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville interviewed for the job, but he decided to remain in Denver.

Bowles interviewed Morton before the Senior Bowl, where he met with Godsey. This was a difficult hire because of the circumstances. The Jets have no proven quarterback, only Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, and Bowles could be entering a make-or-break season.

Inspired by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure is eager to continue playing top-flight football for a few more years.

Evidence of this was Toure’s reported unwillingness to join the Chinese Super League after allegedly rejecting an offer earlier this month to relocate and earn £430,000 per week.

Instead of following the path so many footballers have taken of late, the Manchester City midfielder hopes to continue making an impact in Europe’s top leagues before considering a future elsewhere.

“I’m still looking young, right?” he jokingly said in an interview with Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News. “I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet.

“I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there.”

Toure’s remarks would have been unimaginable to City supporters just two months ago, when his trophy-laden career at the club appeared to be on the verge of ending on a sour note after failing to convince manager Pep Guardiola he was worthy of a place on the team.

Despite a public spat between his agent and Guardiola, Toure was finally included in his first match in November. He has since gone on to play a prominent role at City – including a spot in the starting XI during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham – after scoring three goals in 11 Premier League appearances.

Now, the Ivorian is hoping to emulate the success Ibrahimovic – who is one back in the Premier League scoring race with 14 goals – is having down the road with city rivals Manchester United.

“Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He’s 35 and he’s going to play for maybe … three more years?” Toure said. “He’s got the same mentality as me, he’s a big player, a champion who loves football. It’s football first.

“Anything after that is a bonus, you can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China … I don’t think like that.”