OAKLAND — Second-year cornerbacks Sean Smith and Vontae Davis were benched for the opening series Sunday due to an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Rookie Nolan Carroll and Benny Sapp started in their place.

"You definitely want to start all the time, especially a game like this, in a game of this magnitude," Smith said. "It happened. You have to support your teammates as much as you can and whenever you get out there make the most of the opportunity."

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said he liked the way both Smith and Davis responded to their benching.

Davis finished with five tackles, second on the team, but he also missed a tackle that led to a 29-yard reception for Louis Murphy on Davis' first play on defense.

"We came in and dominated, in my opinion," Smith said. "I feel we came in and did exactly what we needed to do in this game."

Dansby hurting

Dolphins inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, already bothered in recent weeks by toe and ankle injuries, was limited Sunday by a left wrist issue.

That forced backup Tim Dobbins to take on most of the load in the base defense, with Dansby coming in on obvious passing downs. Dobbins finished with a team-high six tackles, while Dansby had a season-low two tackles, one in the final 56 minutes.

"Really impressed with what Tim did," Sparano said. "That wasn't something we knew really until late, but Tim stepped in there and did a good job.

...

Dolphins LCB Vontae Davis and RCB Sean Smith were both benched for the start of Sunday's game for a reason coach Tony Sparano wouldn't disclose.

"That was my decision," Sparano said. "They handled it the way I would expect them to handle it." Benny Sapp and Nolan Carroll filled in briefly during the first quarter before Davis and Smith resumed their starting roles. Whatever the infraction was, it appears it wasn't a major deal.

Report: Vontae Davis, Sean Smith benched for being late to team meetings
Miami Dolphins cornerbacks Sean Smith and Vontae Davis were benched for the opening series Sunday for being late to a team meeting, according to Orlando Alzugaray, WFTL-640 3-7 p.m. sports radio host.

Alzugaray said a source told him it was at least the third time the second-year players were guilty of the infraction, and that they also were fined for conduct detrimental to the team.

Report: Vontae Davis, Sean Smith benched for being late to team meetings
Miami Dolphins cornerbacks Sean Smith and Vontae Davis were benched for the opening series Sunday for being late to a team meeting, according to Orlando Alzugaray, WFTL-640 3-7 p.m. sports radio host.

Alzugaray said a source told him it was at least the third time the second-year players were guilty of the infraction, and that they also were fined for conduct detrimental to the team.