Long before ABC had the idea, The Enquirer knew Chad Johnson was a perfect fit for "Dancing With the Stars." So we paired him with a local dance instructor and let them do their thing. Inside the section, we featured other Bengals and their hobbies. The result was a preview section honored with a national top-10 placing in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors contest.
Rollin' on the river
Another of the players we featured was kicker Shayne Graham, who allowed us on to his boat for photos, a video and a guided tour of his pride and joy.
Before he was Ochocinco ...
Chad danced with Desiree Penn. Our project featured print stories and sidebars, as well as photo galleries and video at Cincinnati.Com.
And, of course, a giant bear
The idea behind this project was to make a football section that was not about football. After weeks of training camp, we wanted to give readers something fresh, and this two-page spread best embodies that philosophy. It's a treasure trove of "Did you know?" surprises our writer culled on various locker room visits. (And any time you can run a giant cut-out bear photo, you probably should.)