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Although the US is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still led by American-born players. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build structure and routines: learning to look after their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and need help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from various origins, a variety of experiences. 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 nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at university, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and the sport, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see action on the field. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a great team, a top franchise.”

Despite devoting the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the US. The better each one of us does, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return