Tech company Lenovo is entering its second season as an official marketing partner of the NFL with a campaign that includes real players, fantasy football and an overhaul of January’s Pro Bowl.

Lenovo, one of the world’s largest sellers of personal computers, is using players such as Andrew Luck, Alfred Morris, Mason Crosby, Larry Fitzgerald and Matt Forte to support a Web-based series, “Tough Season.” The eight-part series follows the trials and tribulations of Brad Blevins, the fictitious owner and head coach of the fantasy squad, Brad’s Awesome Team, which comes in last in its fantasy league every year.

According to Lenovo, Blevins’ desire to have the best fantasy football team leads him to connect with NFL players, as well as to use Lenovo products. The series will run on a micro-site at Lenovo’s home page. The players themselves will support the campaign throughout the season via social media.

“Tough Season” has a direct tie-in with the NFL Pro Bowl, scheduled for January 26, 2014, on NBC, a week before Super Bowl XLVIII. The league and NFL Players Association have revamped the format of the Pro Bowl. The major difference is that voting for the two squads will not follow the traditional NFC versus AFC rosters but will use a draft format based on who is best at each position. The top six running backs or quarterbacks selected to play in the game, for example, could potentially all come from one conference.

A draft to determine the pool of players eligible to participate in the Pro Bowl is scheduled to take place on January 22 and air on NFL Network. NFL Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice will act as captains.

Lenovo’s sponsorship involves a Fantasy Coach of the Year activation, under which one fantasy football fan will be selected as a head coach to work with either Sanders or Rice. The opposing head coach will be selected from among those who participate in the NFL’s own fantasy football league.

Lenovo has partnered with satirical website The Onion to support the promotion.

In addition to its Fantasy Coach of the Year campaign, Lenovo will be the presenting sponsor of the NFL Coach of the Year award, to be presented at the NFL honors show on Febuary 1 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the night before the Super Bowl.

“Fantasy football is a great platform for showing off the incredibly innovative features of our products,” said Kevin Berman, Lenovo’s director of North American advertising and marketing services, in a statement. “This campaign highlights the best high-tech products that any coach would ever need.”

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