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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by American-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and most of them step into the game by attending college in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. As 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and require support in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into 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 won the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the 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 game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a great organization.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US annually to train the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return