In the NFL, information is power, and teams will go through great lengths to protect that information, not matter how innocuous it may seem to outsiders. Which helps explain why the Steelers are building a giant wall to block the view of a practice field at their South Side complex.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Chris Adamski, the structure stands more than 60 feet high and blocks the views of nearby office buildings.

So why construct the wall now?

"I'll leave that somewhat mystical for you guys to hypothesize about the origins of that and its use, and at some point we'll address it the right way," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Thursday. "I know how it is, man. This is interesting times, drones and so forth. We do what we've got to do to prepare and get ready to play to have a level and fair competitive playing field."

Asked if he's concerned about prying eyes from those nearby office buildings, Tomlin added, "I wonder about a lot of things. Some of the questions I get in here, I wonder about."

Meanwhile, tight end Jesse James told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler that he once saw a drone flying nearby during a practice, calling it "kind of sneaky."

"You always have dudes out in the parking lot, and you don't know really where they are from and they send security out," James said. "It's not something you really notice while you're practicing, but if the defense is out on the field going against the scout team, you can see stuff going on."

Fowler notes that while the team's practices are open to the local media, reporting on what happens is prohibited unless a player confirms it. The Steelers have been at the South Side facility since 2000 and have three outdoor practice fields as well as an indoor field.