Chargers See Progress in Quarterback Friesz

ANAHEIM —  If the education of John Friesz can be measured in grade levels, it may be that the second-year quarterback skipped a few grades Sunday.

Friesz, who passed for a career-high 306 yards, wasn’t ready to put himself in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks just yet, but he felt good about his performance.

“I haven’t felt that sharp this year,” he said. “Each week I’ve continued to feel better and better. Today, I saw the field better and I threw more accurately. I made better decisions.”

Jack Reilly, an offensive assistant who works closely with Friesz, liked what he saw.

“I think the steady progress is the important thing for him,” he said. “I think each week he has improved with his skills and his confidence.

It’s fun to watch his development. He works hard during the week. He’s very aware of what’s going on on the football field. He knows the game plan and he performs it well.”

Receiver Kitrick Taylor, who caught three of Friesz’s passes although two were called back by penalties, said he’s beginning to see why the Chargers organization has made such a commitment to the young quarterback.

“Every week John’s going to get better and better,” Taylor said. ‘He had good reads and I think he played a great game. By far, today was his best game. The more confidence he gets . . . you’ll here about John Friesz. He’ll be a good quarterback.”

At times, Friesz was better than good. His 43-yard pass to Anthony Miller down the right sideline had to be perfect.

And it was.

Most of day, Friesz was catching receivers in stride rather than making them wait. Friesz, whose previous high for yardage was 192 against Pittsburgh this season, would have even better numbers had his receivers been able to hang on to the ball.

“I believe in my receivers a hundred percent,” he said. “They make a lot more catches than they should. I just worry about myself right now. I can’t control the other 10 guys. It’s all part of the game.”