When chaos erupts on the gridiron and bodies start flying toward a loose ball, Bill Belichick has a brutally specific game plan for his Patriots players.

Devin McCourty Reveals the Wild Rules Bill Belichick Gives for Fumble Piles
Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick with the team before the game at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Devin McCourty pulled back the curtain on the legendary coach’s fumble-pile philosophy, and it’s every bit as detailed as you’d expect from the six-time Super Bowl winner.

Following the recent Jennings-Mohrig on-field chaos, the former Patriots’ defensive back recalled his coach’s protocol to survive in front of the scrum.

Devin McCourty Reveals the Wild Rules Bill Belichick Gives for Fumble Piles

The revelation came after a wild Monday Night Football incident between San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings and Carolina Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 20-9 loss, Moehrig delivered a vicious low blow to Jennings’ groin area that later led to a postgame confrontation on the sideline. Jennings fired off a vicious slap to Moehrig’s facemask before teammates separated them.

Given the situation, when McCourty was asked about the league’s necessity of a pile-up protocol during a Pro Football Talk, he recalled Belichick’s protocol for surviving the scrum.

McCourty said, “Here’s the protocol, all right. Ball’s on the ground. You’re jumping in, you’re diving on the ball. You’re gonna protect every ball. You’re gonna protect every ball. Listen to this: You’re gonna jump on the ball, get on the football, get in the fetal. But once you get in the fetal, close your mouth, close your eyes, squeeze your butt cheeks. You wanna close everything up.”

Bill Belichick spent years drilling those small details into his players. During Devin McCourty’s thirteen seasons in New England, he went through plenty of fumble piles where those reminders probably kept him from taking the kind of cheap shot Jennings absorbed.

McCourty explained that once a player secures the ball and curls into the fetal position, they have to protect themselves well enough to avoid taking hits to vulnerable areas.

The NFL finally stepped in after the incident, responding to what fans saw on the broadcast. Moehrig got a one-game suspension letter without pay for the punch, which violated the league’s sportsmanship rules and left Jennings doubled over.

Jennings later called the move “childish behavior,” though he admitted his physical playing style sometimes leads to extra contact after the whistle. The league is also reviewing whether he’ll be fined for his postgame retaliation, but only Moehrig received a suspension.