These Players and Trainers Not Born in the United States
Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the sport by going to university in the United States. True international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL
Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill 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 get me lunch.”
It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to NFL Coaching
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: how to look after their body and handle a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical 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 real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest fades.”
Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble
Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety 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 better at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.
International Players and Their Paths
International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.
The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a excellent team, a top organization.”
Despite devoting the majority of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The better every IPP graduate does, the greater number of young people who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”
The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US annually to coach the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back
