[JesseK]

If teams wanted to keep their designs 100% totally secret, even on the field, they could have spent an ounce or two on non-functional decorations. Who knew what the kickoff minibot's design was until it was examined via a photo posted after kickoff? Strategically, that's a hard call though. Do you risk negating the full effectiveness of the design for design longevity over 8 weeks?

It's always easy to build something you have a good sense of where to start. It's why IP laws exist in the first place. It's also why the powerhouse teams will still probably kick our butts in weeks 1-2 next year.