🔗 Share this article

While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born players. Only 5% of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by going to college in the United States. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than many think. We have people from various origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”

Despite devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the US. The better each one of us does, the greater number of youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return