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Although the US is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is still dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of participants are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by attending college in the US. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as representing Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the key skill 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 didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie 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 introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called 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 coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and need help in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest fades.”

Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a great team, a great franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US annually to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us return