The Players and Coaches Born Outside in the USA
While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born athletes. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the sport by attending university in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.
James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US were too expensive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”
It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL
Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, maximising time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build habits and schedules: how to look after their health and handle a huge game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require help in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”
Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble
Coming from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.
Foreign Players and Their Paths
International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.
Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited 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 national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.
The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?
“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent 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 offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”
Motivating the Future
Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the greater number of young people who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to the US annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back
