No team has provided a better example the last few seasons of how quality special teams can impact a game than the Bears.

They routinely made plays to put games away, and that's why the inability to get scores in the return game has caused a ruckus. If you need reinforcement of the fact that special-teams play is indeed one-third of the game, just check out the Minnesota Vikings , who have been losing games the way the Bears used to win them.

Take away Garrett Wolfe's 17-yard return of a blocked punt after punter Chris Kluwe dropped the ball and the muffed punt recovery in the end zone by Zack Bowman in the first meeting between the teams at Soldier Field, and the Bears don't win 48-41, they lose the game. The Vikings lost their opener at Green Bay 24-19 because of, among other reasons, a 76-yard Will Blackmon punt return for a score. Tidy up special teams in those two games, and the Vikings would be sitting pretty at 8-3, not deadlocked with the Bears at 6-5.

''I'll be honest with you, we got lucky on that,'' Bears special-teams coordinator Dave Toub said. ''They had a lot of bad luck in those situations, where the ball hit the guy and the guy drops the ball. We weren't even going for a block and we ended up getting a block, so let's call it what it is -- we got lucky, we got two scores out of it. Our guys were playing fast, and that's a credit to them -- but at the end of the day, that's what it was.''

In all, Minnesota has surrendered six return touchdowns, tying them with the 1980 Detroit Lions for the most since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Despite allowing two Reggie Bush punt returns for scores, the Vikings wiggled out of the Superdome with a 30-27 victory in New Orleans last month, and they managed a one-point win over Green Bay despite another Blackmon touchdown in the rematch.

It's a small world in the coaching community, and in 1980-81, Toub was a teammate of Vikings special-teams coach Paul Ferraro at Springfield (Mass.) College, where offensive line coach Harry Hiestand also played. Strength and conditioning coach Rusty Jones was a coach at Springfield at the time.

Toub doesn't want to see his friend Ferraro struggle but would love to see the Bears bust out for the first runback for a score of the season. The Vikings have done a good job covering kickoffs, where Danieal Manning has replaced Devin Hester. Toub did extra work with his wedge after practice Friday.

''Just little things,'' he said. ''If it means climbing a little longer, just staying on your guy a little longer, getting the kicker or the one block at the last minute to spring him, that's what we're trying to work on right now.''

Turf wars

Much chatter has gone into the Bears' performance this season on artificial surface vs. natural grass and how the defense has been much better on the synthetic stuff. The facts: The defense has allowed 265 total yards and 49 rushing yards on average in four games on turf compared to 359 and 99 in seven games on grass.

''[Artificial surface] makes everyone faster -- but just talking about it from our point of view, the way we're set up defensively, we're a quick team,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''We don't have a lot of big guys, so with our guys being able to plant and drive and do all those things, you would have to think it would help us. So you look at how we've played inside, we've played well.''

Here's the biggest problem with the analysis: Two of the turf games have been played at Detroit (0-12) and St. Louis (2-9). If the Bears had played those teams on broken glass, you'd say they have an edge vs. opponents on that surface. Everyone dominates the Lions and Rams.

The other issue here is that you wouldn't expect the Bears to build their roster to succeed on turf when they have eight games a year on the grass and painted dirt at Soldier Field. If the Bears are being built to win indoors, maybe it's time for a new stadium drive.

HEALTH BEAT

Tight end Desmond Clark (right knee) and wide receiver Marty Booker (knee) are questionable after practicing for the second consecutive day. Strong safety Mike Brown (calf), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (left knee) and linebacker Jamar Williams (groin) are probable. Vikings right tackle Artis Hicks (elbow) is questionable but is expected to play.

PAY UP

St. Louis linebacker Gary Stills was fined $5,000 for a blow to the head as a result of the unnecessary-roughness penalty he received covering a punt in the second quarter Sunday against the Bears.