CHARGER NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Friesz, Gagliano to Get Bulk of Work Against Phoenix

The Chargers will start John Friesz at quarterback in their exhibition debut Saturday night in Phoenix, and Bob Gagliano will come on in the second and third quarters before giving way to Jeff Graham.

Pat O’Hara will play in place of Graham for next week’s game in New England.

“John will go at least the first quarter and probably a series or two in the second quarter,” Coach Bobby Ross said. “We intend to keep our first bunch in as a whole at least a quarter and a half or maybe as much as a half.

“Friesz will have some audibles at the line of scrimmage and in some situations he will have two-way options. We haven’t gotten to where we say, ‘It’s your call.’ We’ll get to that eventually, but we’re just not there.”

Ross said the Chargers have decided to keep wide receiver Ray Ethridge on the club’s physically unable to perform list for the rest of the year. Ethridge, the team’s third-round pick, had trouble catching the ball in workouts and then turned up with a hamstring injury.

If he is healthy, the Chargers are obligated by league rules to add him to their roster. But Ross said Ethridge is only about “90%” healthy and is unable to accelerate when running his pass routes.

Ross conceded that Ethridge would stand no chance to make the team if he were healthy.

Defensive end Leslie O’Neal said he will no longer give interviews, defensive tackle George Thornton brushed past a reporter asking for his time Thursday, nose tackle Joe Phillips is not only unsigned but in hiding, and free agent defensive tackle Blaise Winter informed the team’s public relations department that he is furious with a reporter’s recent account of his career.

“The only defensive lineman who is talking anymore is me,” said Burt Grossman. “I’ll be taking calls from anyone interested.”

Ross, who was hired in part to bring discipline to the Chargers, has told his players that he expects them to talk with the media. “That’s in the playbook,” he said. “I read it to them.”

But if they don’t talk, “I’m not going to fine them,” he said. “I can understand why.”

Ross also told his players that they would be fined if they failed to check in for lunch. Thornton has been skipping the noon meal, but Ross said, “I haven’t checked roll that much because I’ve had so many other things to do. It’s not a major deal to me.”