CHARLOTTE — Ryan Fitzgerald 's never gone through anything like this before, so he didn't know what to expect. And they didn't know what to expect from him.

But he's already hit a couple of big shots in Bank of America Stadium — well, sort of — so they're beginning to like his chances.

The rookie kicker from Florida State won a job in training camp, but he may have begun to win over some teammates back in the summer on a fake golf course.

As the story goes, Fitzgerald and some of the special teamers were hitting a few balls on the team's golf simulator, where it is occasionally as competitive as it gets on the field.

A single-digit handicap golfer, Fitzgerald was getting heckled one day by veteran safety Nick Scott , who considers himself pretty good at this as well.

"And Nick was

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