🔗 Share this article

While the United States is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible 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 stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing locally and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

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

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to take care of their body and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- 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 very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Austria 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 member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Although devoting most of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the US. The better each one of us does, the more youth who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return