These Players and Trainers Born Outside in the United States
While the US is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born players. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the game by going to college in the United States. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.
Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL
For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.
“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my schedule 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”
This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”
Transitioning to NFL Coaching
Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had never played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”
Does being an Brit who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can help 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.”
Benefits of Being Beyond the US System
Coming from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”
The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than developing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.
International Players and Their Paths
International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.
Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.
Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.
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 periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?
“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a great team, a top franchise.”
Although spending most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the Rams. 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 got to be there for each other.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say all the countries beyond the US. The better each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”
The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return
