🔗 Share this article

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

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would switch my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to look after their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his preferred games, football and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very welcoming culture, a great team, a top organization.”

Although devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “I would say every nation beyond the United States. The better each one of us performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to train the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back