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While the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born players. Only five percent of participants are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by attending university in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. 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 usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: learning to take care of their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and need help in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Being Outside the US System

Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke 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 build relationships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the 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 challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a great squad, a great franchise.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back