MIAMI — The three-day spring NFL owners’ meetings ended this week just outside Orlando and among the most notable decisions made, the league stole Christmas Day like the Grinch and made tackling harder for defenders.

On a brighter note, the NFL voted to resurrect the forgotten kickoff return, albeit with a new rule that is so complicated and will look so bizarre on the field it must have been invented by Rube Goldberg. (Google it, kids.)

Quick thoughts on the rule changes and some Miami Dolphins-centric stuff:

— The league previously said it would not play on Christmas Day in 2024 because it falls on a Wednesday — but reversed field by announcing there would be two games played on the holiday.

Money talked; no shouted. The three Christmas games this past Dec. 25 (a Monday) did huge ratings, with the Ravens-49ers game garnering the best Monday Night Football rating since 1996. Cha-ching!

Fans like watching football no matter the day of week or holiday, possibly because they have bet heavily on the outcomes. Not me. Can’t we just spend the once-hallowed day at home with family and take a break from sports, for Christ’s sake!?

(Aside to my editor: I plan to have a severe, sudden-onset head cold about nine months from now.)

— The NFL eliminated the hip-drop tackle. Who knew there was a hip-drop tackle?

League describes the defensive play in question as involving a swivel technique in which a defender grabs a runner with both hands or arms “and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”

In the name of safety or possibly to blatantly aid offenses and make games higher scoring, the NFL previously required that quarterback sacks be done gently and including a note of apology. Now another defensive staple has been criminalized.

As Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland wrote on it’ll-always-be-Twitter-to-me:

“Breaking News: Tackling Banned.”

— The kickoff return is back!

Rules changes designed to limit injuries caused returns to be emasculated over the years, leading to an all-time high of 78.3% touchbacks last season. Now kickoff returns will greatly increase by a new rules chang borrowed from the XFL. (Spring league attempts to rival the NFL are comically hopeless and always fail, but occasionally are valuable as Petri dishes for different ideas.)

The new rule for 2024, subject to tinkering, will greatly encourage returns but limit full-speed collisions.

Kickers will still kick from their own 35-yard line but his 10 teammates will line up on the receiving team’s 40. At least nine players on the receiving team will line up in a “setup zone” between their 30- and 35-yard lines, with up to two players able to line up in a “landing zone” between the goal line and 20.

And no one other than the kicker and returner can move until the football hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone.

Got all that?

It will look crazy at first and is sure to initially result in a bunch of illegal movement penalties, but ultimately will help bring back what used to be a potentially exciting play.

(Oh, and no more surprise onside kicks starting in ‘24. The receiving team must be informed of the attempt in advance, and regular old kickoff formations would be used. Teams can attempt no more than two onside kicks per game, and none until the fourth quarter.)

— Some Dolphins stuff arising from the league meetings:

Coach Mike McDaniel in his media session revealed the club had made an offer to free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Made for headlines, but OBJ is a big name who’s no longer a big player Last productive season was 2019. Last made the Pro Bowl in ‘16. Would be Miami’s third receiver if he comes cheap enough.

Like McDaniel’s response to why the team didn’t franchise-tag free agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to keep him one more year: “We have to be the parents that have to look at our budget and make sure we can pay the water bill.”

Not only the water bill, but the Tua Tagovailoa bill coming due.

McDaniel predictably rejects the notion Miami may struggle to be as good as last season due to free-agency losses and salary cap-related cuts. I’d also note that top defenders Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are coming off major late-season injuries and may miss a large chunk of the coming season.

“Zero thought as to ‘down, rebuilding’ or whatever those words are,” the head coach said. “That makes zero sense to me.”

In fact, Miami has the ninth best Super Bowl odds for 2024 right now (fifth in the AFC), and a betting over/under of 10 wins compared to last season’s preseason number of 9 1/2.

(Aside to the coach: Mike, please do what you can to make sure the Dolphins aren’t one of those Wednesday Christmas games, OK? Thanks!)

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