The Players and Trainers Born Outside in the USA
Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still led by American-born players. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.
Cook’s Surprising Path to the League
Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”
This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Making the Leap to NFL Coaching
Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”
Advantages of Being Outside the US System
Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are truly curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”
The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the elite level.
International Athletes and Their Journeys
International athletes have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.
Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while representing teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.
A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?
“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a excellent team, a great organization.”
Although spending the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”
Motivating the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the US. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The program alumni are welcomed to Florida each year to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back