2006 NFL PREVIEW:
A NATIONAL AWARD-WINNER

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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

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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 ...

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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

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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.)