The Athletes and Coaches Born Outside in the United States
Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by US-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to university in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League
For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”
This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train younger players from around the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active role, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: learning to take care of their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”
Benefits of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble
Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from various origins, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.
Foreign Athletes and Their Paths
International athletes have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport 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 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.
A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells 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 popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?
“It’s not really 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 got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”
Despite devoting the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the US. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return
