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Multiple factors affect a team's sack totals over the course of a season.

For the St. Louis Rams, having a more competitive team overall has created more favorable situations to rush opposing quarterbacks. And the team has probably done a better job capitalizing on its opportunities.

St. Louis has also played four of its first six games at home, collecting 14 of its 17 sacks in those games.

Still, the gains have been impressive.

The Rams had 25.0 sacks while posting a 1-15 record last season. The team already has 17.0 sacks in six games this season after collecting seven against Philip Rivers and San Diego in Week 6. That puts the Rams on pace for 45.3 sacks this season, which would equate to an increase of 81.3 percent. The pace could be difficult to keep with only four home games remaining, but the 2009 Rams did collect 14 of their 25 sacks away from the Edward Jones Dome.

The chart shows sack totals and 2010 sack paces for every player with a sack for the Rams last season or this season. The NFL issues full sacks or half sacks; I did not round off projected totals for the 2010 season, even though it's impossible for a player to finish with, say, 5.3 sacks. I wanted the projected totals for each player to match the projected team total.

Fred Robbins and George Selvie were not with the Rams in 2009. Leonard Little and LaJuan Ramsey had sacks for the team last season, but neither returned.

Veteran James Hall is on pace for 16.0 sacks after collecting two more Sunday. He also blocked a field goal attempt during the Rams' 20-17 victory. Hall has collected five of his six sacks this season during home games.

Roster turnover is a leading topic for discussion in Seattle following the release of T.J. Houshmandzadeh in particular.

I've addressed the subject in depth across the division -- first May 26 and again July 30 -- and it's worth another look now that teams have reduced to 53 players for the regular season.

This time, I'm going to break down the changes by position, listing players no longer on the active roster at each main position group (with new players in parenthesis). Departures outnumber replacements because some players finished last season on injured reserve, meaning they were not part of the 53-man roster.

Some players no longer on the active roster remain with the team (they could be suspended, deemed physically unable to perform or part of the practice squad).

St. Louis Rams (34 off roster)

Defensive back: Eric Bassey, Quincy Butler, Danny Gorrer, Clinton Hart, Cordelius Parks, David Roach, Jonathan Wade (added Kevin Dockery, Jerome Murphy, Darian Stewart)

Defensive line: Victor Adeyanju, Adam Carriker, Leger Douzable, Leonard Little, LaJuan Ramsey, James Wyche (added Jermelle Cudjo, Fred Robbins, George Selvie, Eugene Sims)

Linebacker: K.C. Asiodu, Paris Lenon (added Na'il Diggs, Josh Hull)

Offensive line: Roger Allen, Alex Barron, Ryan McKee, Mark Setterstrom, Phillip Trautwein, Eric Young (added Renardo Foster, Hank Fraley, Rodger Saffold)

Quarterback: Kyle Boller, Marc Bulger, Keith Null, Mike Reilly (added Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Thaddeus Lewis)

Running back: Samkon Gado, Chris Ogbonnaya (added Keith Toston)

Special teams: Ryan Neill

Tight end: Randy McMichael (added Mike Hoomanawanui, Fendi Onobun)

Wide receiver: Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Brooks Foster, Jordan Kent, Ruvell Martin (added Mark Clayton, Dominique Curry, Mardy Gilyard)

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Seattle Seahawks (33 off roster)

Defensive back: Jamar Adams, Deon Grant, Ken Lucas, Josh Wilson (added Kam Chancellor, Kennard Cox, Nate Ness, Earl Thomas, Walter Thurmond)

Defensive line: Lawrence Jackson, Patrick Kerney, Cory Redding, Nick Reed, Darryl Tapp, Craig Terrill (added Kentwan Balmer, Raheem Brock, Chris Clemons, Dexter Davis, Junior Siavii, E.J. Wilson)

Linebacker: Leroy Hill, Lance Laury, D.D. Lewis (added Matt McCoy; note that Hill is suspended for the first regular-season game)

Offensive line: Trevor Canfield, Brandon Frye, Walter Jones, Damion McIntosh, Rob Sims, Steve Vallos, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto (added Stacy Andrews, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Ben Hamilton, Russell Okung, Chester Pitts, Tyler Polumbus)

Quarterback: Mike Teel, Seneca Wallace (added Charlie Whitehurst)

Running back: Justin Griffith, Louis Rankin, Tyler Roehl, Owen Schmitt (added Quinton Ganther, Michael Robinson, Leon Washington)

Special teams: Kevin Houser, Jeff Robinson (added Clint Gresham)

Tight end: John Owens (added Chris Baker, Anthony McCoy)

Wide receiver: Nate Burleson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh (added Golden Tate, Mike Williams)

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Arizona Cardinals (24 off roster)

Defensive backs: Ralph Brown, Bryant McFadden, Antrel Rolle (added A.J. Jefferson, Trumaine McBride, Brandon McDonald, Kerry Rhodes)

Defensive line: Jason Banks (added Dan Williams)

Linebacker: Monty Beisel, Bertrand Berry, Cody Brown, Karlos Dansby, Gerald Hayes, Chike Okeafor, Pago Togafau (added Paris Lenon, Cyril Obiozor, Joey Porter, Daryl Washington; Hayes can return from the physically unable to perform list after six games)

Offensive line: Mike Gandy, Herman Johnson, Reggie Wells (added Alan Faneca, Rex Hadnot)

Quarterback: Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre, Kurt Warner (added Derek Anderson, Max Hall, John Skelton)

Running back: Justin Green, Dan Kreider (added Jerome Johnson)

Special teams: Neil Rackers (added Jay Feely)

Tight end: Anthony Becht (added Jim Dray)

Wide receiver: Anquan Boldin, Sean Morey, Jerheme Urban (added Andre Roberts, Stephen Williams)

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San Francisco 49ers (24 off roster)

Defensive backs: Dre' Bly, Walt Harris, Marcus Hudson, Mark Roman (added Phillip Adams, Tramaine Brock, William James, Taylor Mays)

Defensive line: Kentwan Balmer, Derek Walker

Linebacker: Scott McKillop, Jeff Ulbrich, Matt Wilhelm (added NaVorro Bowman, Travis LaBoy)

Offensive line: Tony Pashos, Chris Patrick, Cody Wallace (added Alex Boone, Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati)

Quarterback: Nate Davis, Shaun Hill (added David Carr, Troy Smith)

Running back: Thomas Clayton, Glen Coffee, Brit Miller, Michael Robinson (added Anthony Dixon, Brian Westbrook)

Special teams: Shane Andrus, Ricky Schmitt

Wide receiver: Arnaz Battle, Isaac Bruce, Jason Hill, Brandon Jones (added Ted Ginn Jr., Kyle Williams, Dominique Zeigler)

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The first chart shows how many players are back -- at least for now -- from Week 17 rosters and injured reserve lists. Seattle has the fewest number back with 26.

The second chart shows how many players each team has shed since Week 17 last season. This counts players who were on injured reserve. Teams with lots of players on injured reserve had more players to lose.

Pete Carroll isn't the only NFC West inhabitant defending USC's honor following NCAA sanctions against the football program.

Like Carroll, the former USC coach in his first season with the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart has a legacy to uphold. As Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com points out, the 2005 BCS trophy Leinart helped win no longer sits on display at USC's Heritage Hall.

"People can say whatever they want but we still played every game the way we had to, we beat almost every team we played and, to me, no one will ever be able to take that away," Leinart told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "I've talked to a lot of people I played with on those teams and we all say the same thing. Everyone who knows football knows we won those games and we won the title."

Leinart said he remains close with former USC teammate Reggie Bush, whose alleged actions brought about the sanctions. Leinart said the two speak to one another "all the time" and Bush recently attended Leinart's bowling event.

Current NFC West players from USC include Leinart, Dominique Byrd and Deuce Lutui of the Cardinals, Chilo Rachal and Taylor Mays of the San Francisco 49ers and eight players from the Seattle Seahawks: Josh Pinkard, Kevin Ellison, Lofa Tatupu, Lawrence Jackson, Jeff Byers, Anthony McCoy, Mike Williams and Ryan Powdrell. The St. Louis Rams are the only team in the division and one of six in the NFL without a player from USC. Byrd and LaJuan Ramsey were the former USC players on the Rams' roster most recently.

Bad teams aren't the only ones churning their rosters during the offseason.

The defending NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals have parted with 15 of the 53 players on their Week 17 roster from last season. Only the rebuilding Seahawks have parted with more -- 16 -- among division teams this offseason. The Rams have parted with 11. The 49ers, seeking continuity as they try to build on an 8-8 season, have parted with only three.

The first chart shows how many Week 17 starters and backups have returned to each NFC West team.

The second chart shows how many Week 17 starters and backups have left each NFC West team.

I'll first list the players by team.

Seattle (16): receiver Nate Burleson, quarterback Seneca Wallace, linebacker Lance Laury, defensive end Cory Redding, guard Trevor Canfield, quarterback Mike Teel, tackle Damion McIntosh, linebacker D.D. Lewis, snapper Jeff Robinson, fullback Justin Griffith, cornerback Ken Lucas, safety Deon Grant, defensive end Darryl Tapp, guard Rob Sims, tight end John Owens and defensive end Patrick Kerney.

Arizona (15): linebacker Pago Togafau, safety Antrel Rolle, receiver Jerheme Urban, receiver Sean Morey, kicker Neil Rackers, linebacker Bertrand Berry, fullback Dan Kreider, cornerback Ralph Brown, quarterback Brian St. Pierre, defensive end Jason Banks, receiver Anquan Boldin, linebacker Karlos Dansby, quarterback Kurt Warner, cornerback Bryant McFadden and linebacker Chike Okeafor. Note that Rolle did not start in Week 17.

St. Louis (11): defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey, cornerback Jonathan Wade, receiver Ruvell Martin, quarterback Mike Reilly, defensive end Leonard Little, safety Clinton Hart, snapper Ryan Neill, running back Samkon Gado, linebacker Paris Lenon, tackle Alex Barron and tight end Randy McMichael.

San Francisco (5): receiver Arnaz Battle, cornerback Marcus Hudson, quarterback Shaun Hill, safety Mark Roman and cornerback Dre Bly.

The third chart shows what happened to players who were on injured reserve in Week 17.

I'll first list by team the players who were on IR but are no longer with their teams.

San Francisco (5): tackle Tony Pashos, punter Ricky Schmitt, linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, cornerback Walt Harris and running back Thomas Clayton.

Seattle (4): running back Tyler Roehl, tackle Walter Jones, snapper Kevin Houser and tackle Brandon Frye.

St. Louis (3): quarterback Marc Bulger, defensive tackle Adam Carriker and safety Eric Bassey.

Arizona (2): tackle Mike Gandy and fullback Justin Green.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams are showing the strains associated with prolonged futility. Burwell: "Eventually, the losing wears you down. You look out there and see that there are so many holes to fill, so many things to improve, so many injuries to overcome, so many weird things like swine flu to cope with, so much of a gigantic talent gap between you and a playoff team like the Cardinals that the adversity has to get to you."

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers a postgame Rams report card featuring a "B" grade for the Rams' defensive line and lower grades for the other positional groups. Coats: "Strong outings by Chris Long, Victor Adeyanju and rookie Darell Scott. LaJuan Ramsey forced a fumble when he sacked Kurt Warner. Long had a sack and two quarterback hits. Pretty good showing vs. the run. Cards averaged just 3.4 yards on 32 carries."

Also from Coats: a closer look at rookie quarterback Keith Null's performance.

More from Coats: Chris Ogbonnaya, Roger Allen and Cord Parks made their regular-season NFL debuts. Allen couldn't wait to call his fiance after the game. Allen: "I've set foot on an NFL field. It feels amazing to finally get in there and help the team."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says former Rams starter Jonathan Wade has fallen so far that the team isn't even using the cornerback in its dime defense. The Cardinals used four wide receivers to help break open the game in the second quarter. Ken Whisenhunt: "I felt like it was the best personnel group matching up against them because of their injuries and losing some players in the secondary. We thought it might be the best way to give us the advantage."

Also from Thomas: Null struggled against the Cardinals. Running back Steven Jackson wasn't there to help carry the load, sitting out for the first time this season. Jackson: "The back was just giving me a lot of problems. It wasn't loosening up. There was pain down my leg. So it was all clear signs telling me that I wasn't ready to go. Signs that I wasn't having in previous weeks."

Howard Balzer of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat says the Rams' lack of talent jumped out Sunday. Balzer: "Consider that of the 45 players active for Sunday’s game, 30 entered the league as either a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick or an undrafted free agent. That includes four sixth-round picks, 10 seventh-rounders and an astounding 16 players that went undrafted. Of the eight players inactive, five were undrafted, meaning 35 of 53 players entered the league after the fifth round."

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic senses the Cardinals are about to awake following a sleepy preseason. Bickley: "From an Arizona perspective, the worst preseason imaginable might be the best thing that's ever happened to this team. Warner said the team was successful only in "embarrassing ourselves" and, fortunately, it seems like a missing fire suddenly has returned. A rebound performance in Week 1 atones for everything."

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic checks in with Ben Claxton and other Cardinals players feeling fortunate to have landed spots on the team's initial 53-man roster. Somers: "After signing contracts with eight teams, spending two seasons in NFL Europe and two seasons out of football, Claxton survived the final cut of training camp for the first time."

Also from Somers: The Cardinals' 2008 opening-day starters have now been cut by two other teams.

More from Somers: Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson wasn't biting when asked about matching up with 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. "Who?" Wilson asked. Somers also explains how Herman Johnson's emergence at backup right tackle gives the Cardinals the flexibility to move Levi Brown to left tackle if something happens to starter Mike Gandy.

More yet from Somers: Anquan Boldin is resting a hamstring injury.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says Larry Fitzgerald is eager to open up the playbook and play to the Cardinals' offensive strengths.

Taylor Price of 49ers.com takes an early look at the Cardinals heading into the season opener. Price: "The Cardinals held the 49ers to an average of 18.5 points per game in the team’s two meetings last season and they’d like to continue that trend this Sunday when the teams kick-off the 2009 regular season."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee singles out receiver Josh Morgan as a player to watch on the 49ers this season. Barrows: "Josh Morgan is a 220-pound wide receiver who can run 40 yards in less than 4.4 seconds. He's the best leaper on the 49ers, a strong blocker in the running game, and he's an infrequent visitor to the training room."

Also from Barrows: The 49ers need Dashon Goldson to force turnovers.

More from Barrows: Allen Rossum came up big for the 49ers in the return game last season.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks confirmed Lawyer Milloy's role as a backup to Jordan Babineaux, as expected. Milloy: "I'm trying to get in and fit in. If I have to be a backup, that's what I have to do. I'll accept that role. As a backup, you're always pushing to be the starter. It was like that my rookie year and it's going to be like that now."

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says Milloy worked out for the Lions last week, but Seattle was his preference all the way. Defensive backs coach Tim Lewis after Milloy's first practice: "I thought he did a great job. He's very smart. He’s experienced. He's easy to get him acclimated to our defensive system. We have that Gus Bradley system, and it's one that requires the safety to be smart, instinctive and a good feel player."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch checks in with Rams players who felt fortunate to earn roster spots. One of them, David Roach, set up his family as though the Rams had cut him, only to surprise them with the good news. Of course, roster spots can be fleeting and the Rams will adjust their personnel.

Also from Thomas: Adam Carriker's shoulder surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. Recovery time is expected to be four months. Carriker said he suffered a 75 percent tear of the subscapularis muscle.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says rookie guard Roger Allen III found it "eerie" to see friends' names removed from lockers at Rams Park.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says new Rams defensive lineman LaJuan Ramsey focused on football after his preferred sport, swimming, became an unrealistic one to pursue. Coats: "He was a swimmer, a 50-meter sprinter, but his size -- he's 6-feet-3 and 300 pounds -- wasn't exactly suited for the pool."

Brian Stull of 101ESPN St. Louis details the Rams' plans for Marc Bulger this week.

Roster counts by position for NFC West Pos. ARI SF STL SEA Avg. QB 3 3 3 3 3.0 RB 5 4 4 5 4.5 WR 7 6 4 5 5.5 TE 3 2 3 3 2.8 OL 9 8 10 9 9.0 DL 6 7 10 11 8.5 LB 8 9 6 6 7.3 DB 9 11 10 8 9.5 ST 3 3 3 3 3.0 Totals 53 53 53 53 53.0

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Rams continued tweaking their roster Sunday by claiming defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey from the Titans and free safety Anthony Smith from the Packers.

This was probably just the beginning.

The Rams cleared room on their roster by releasing linebacker Quinton Culberson and receiver Nate Jones. That left the Rams with only four wide receivers on the 53-man roster. That number will certainly grow.

The team also signed six of the players it released Saturday to its practice squad, leaving two spots open. The six: linebacker K.C. Asiodu, tight end Eric Butler, defensive end Ian Campbell, linebacker Dominic Douglas, cornerback Cord Parks and receiver Sean Walker.

I'll pass along Scouts Inc.'s take on Ramsey. Scouts Inc. does not have analysis for Smith.

Scouts Inc. on Ramsey: Ramsey has some burst and initial quickness with above-average athletic skills. He has good functional play strength and flashes the ability to shed blocks quickly. He has good lower-body strength when he maintains his pad level at the point of attack. As a pass-rusher, he has adequate closing speed and flashes a variety of pass-rush moves.

Pick 2008 2007 2006 2005 31 Kenny Phillips Greg Olsen Kelly Jennings Mike Patterson 63 Terrell Thomas Brandon Jackson Darryl Tapp Matt McCoy 95 Mario Manningham Dante Hughes Willie Reid Darryl Blackstock 131 Jack Ikegwuonu Brannon Condren Willie Colon Fred Gibson 167 Erik Walden Kevin Payne Charles Davis Michael Hawkins 204 Lex Hilliard Jacob Ford LaJuan Ramsey Chris Kemoeatu 254 -- Jonathan Holland Vickiel Vaughn Doug Nienhuis

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Cardinals hold the 31st, 63rd, 95th, 131st, 167th, 204th, 240th and 254th choices in the 2009 draft. For perspective, I've singled out the last four players chosen in those spots.

Teams have certainly found tight ends at No. 31 in recent years. The Bears drafted Greg Olsen (2007). The Ravens drafted Todd Heap (2001).

In 2005, my first year of NFL blogging, more than a few Seattle fans wanted the Seahawks to select linebacker Darryl Blackstock. The Cardinals drafted him instead at No. 95. They have the 95th pick again this year. Blackstock is the only linebacker drafted in that spot since the 49ers drafted Mitch Donahue from Wyoming in 1991.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt was with the Steelers in 2006 when they drafted guard Willie Colon with the 131st overall choice. Colon has started every game over the last two seasons. Arizona could stand to find starting-caliber depth for its line at some point in the 2009 draft.

Whisenhunt was also with the Steelers in 2005 when they drafted eventual starting guard Chris Kemoeatu with the 204th choice, another slot Arizona inhabits this season. In 2001,
the Bengals found T.J. Houshmandzadeh in that slot. Hall of Famer Art Donovan was also drafted 204th -- in 1947.