The Players and Coaches Not Born in the United States
Although the United States is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely led by American-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are foreign-born, and most of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL
Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build structure and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”
Benefits of Being Beyond the US System
Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Journeys
International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at 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.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while representing clubs 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 periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”
Although spending most of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is always very tight because we are a group and united, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the US. The better each one of us does, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return
