The Players and Trainers Born Outside in the United States
While the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by American-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved too expensive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and throw 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 career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train younger players from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build structure and schedules: how to look after their body and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”
Does being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious 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 how you speak. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff fades.”
Advantages of Being Beyond the US System
Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.
Foreign Players and Their Paths
Foreign players have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.
A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”
Although devoting most of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Future
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”
The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back
