RENTED QBS RIGHT AT HOME.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

When the Giants and Chargers named Kurt Warner and Drew Brees as their starting quarterbacks in late August, the announcements didn't exactly come with stamps of approval. Stamps of a use-by date were more like it.

The plan was for rent-a-QBs Brees and Warner to take their lumps while the kinks were worked out in overhauled offensive lines. Then the two rebuilding franchises could begin to look to the future.

Once October rolled around, the Giants and Chargers would be safely out of the playoff picture, expectations would be significantly lowered, and the eras of rookies Eli Manning and Philip Rivers would begin.

But a funny thing has happened on the way to the scrap heap. Warner and Brees have played much better than expected and, lo and behold, so have the Giants and Chargers.

New York, after its fourth consecutive victory - a 26-10 win over Dallas - sits at 4-1, a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East. San Diego, after its 34-21 victory over Jacksonville, is 3-2 and a game behind Denver in the AFC West.

If the playoffs began today, both would be in.

It's safe to say that if they had played like this last season, they wouldn't be in their current positions.

Warner still would be directing the Greatest Show on Turf, and Brees might be getting to know his new left tackle, Robert Gallery.

After a promising 2002 season, Brees regressed so far last season - winning two of his 11 starts and throwing four more interceptions than touchdowns - that he lost his job to Neolithic Doug Flutie and lost the confidence of the Chargers' front office, prompting them to draft Rivers.

In St. Louis, where he won two league MVP awards in four seasons, Warner was released this spring after losing his last eight starts - beginning with the 2002 Super Bowl. Injuries to his thumb and pinkie left him with few suitors.

``The bottom line is that there's still a lot of guys that have been told they are too old, too slow, they can't do it anymore, (who) can still do it, can still play,'' Warner told reporters last week. ``There are some teams out there that understand that and there are other teams out there that don't.''

Warner, always a high-risk, high-reward quarterback with the Rams, hasn't kept the scoreboard turning over. But his efficient play - something the Giants probably wouldn't have had with a rookie - has been critical for a team that has won, thanks to a rejuvenated Tiki Barber and an NFL-best turnover margin of plus-11.

Warner, at 33, is trying to prove he still can play. He is guaranteed $3.5 million this season and has incentives that could push his deal to $8 million, but the final year of his two-year contract isn't guaranteed.

Brees, an unrestricted free agent after this season, also may have a new address next year. There was some interest in him after the Chargers drafted Rivers, but it was as a backup.

The interest will be keener and the money greener if Brees continues to play like he has the past two weeks, when the Chargers have scored a combined 72 points.

Brees has a quarterback rating of 100.0, the third best in the NFL. He has stayed away from the big mistake - throwing just two interceptions - and made enough big plays when he's not putting the ball in LaDainian Tomlinson's hands.

``The young man is progressing,'' Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. ``The kid is a very, very good quarterback and I think he has the ability when he doesn't let things get going too fast for him.''

If Brees and Warner continue their winning ways, it won't improve their standing at home. The Giants and Chargers have invested more than $40 million in Manning and Rivers, and aren't about to swallow it.

It's much the same path that Cincinnati has taken. The Bengals, after making huge strides last year with journeyman Jon Kitna, turned the job over to last year's No. 1 pick Carson Palmer. They are struggling at 1-3.

There seems to be a lesson, at least in the short term, for the NFL quarterback market: it's better to rent than to own.

Elsewhere around the league in Week 5:

--The 19-game win streak notwithstanding, we'll know more about the Patriots in the next four weeks when they play the Seahawks, Jets, Steelers and Rams - a combined 14-4. New England's past three opponents - the Cardinals, Bills and Dolphins - are a combined 1-13.

--In four weeks, no team won a game after trailing by more than eight points. Then the comebacks came with a flurry: The Rams rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter, the 49ers came from 16 back in the final period, and the Redskins came from 10 down in the third quarter.

Also, the Texans rallied from 21 behind in the fourth to force overtime against the Vikings, eventually losing. And the Bills came from 13 down in the fourth to take the lead before falling to the Jets in the final minute.

--The league trading deadline is at 4 p.m. today, not that anyone will notice. It might make things more interesting if it was moved back a month. Imagine if baseball's trading deadline was May 31.