Good to be back at work after a week of vacation. Now it’s time to touch on a few topics that have been in the news while I was gone, and some of these I likely will be following up on this week on NFL Total Access.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Ravens coach John Harbaugh plans to talk with veteran WR Derrick Mason, who announced his intention to retire earlier this week.

Every USO Tour — the participants, the location, the moment in time — feels different from every other that came before it or will come after it. This tour, our first in the 43-year history of NFL-USO tours to feature coaches, was perhaps more distinct than others.

When the planning for this trip was in its early stages, one thing that was most important to us was having the opportunity to spend the Fourth of July holiday with our troops who are serving overseas in harm’s way. I think all five coaches on the tour would agree that July 4, 2009 was a day they will long remember.

So, what are the accommodations like on USO tours? We always stay in “DV” quarters, which are on-base accommodations for “Distinguished Visitors.” These quarters can range from having an extra pillow on a standard-issue Army cot in a barrack-style room to comfortable single rooms for each member of the tour.

The first full day in Iraq began with an early wake up call and included meet-and-greets with US troops Mosul and Kirkuk before wrapping up with a Q&A with hundreds of troops at a reception in Baghdad.

The trip to Iraq is never easy, and this tour is no exception. But we are looking forward to a number of full, exciting and meaningful days ahead.

Each Pro Bowl team is led by the coach of the team that lost in that conference’s championship game. John Harbaugh, the rookie coach whose Baltimore Ravens fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-14 in the AFC Championship Game, said he wasn’t able to fully get over that loss until Super Bowl XLIII had been played. A Super Bowl that Harbaugh didn’t even watch.

At almost this time last season, Baltimore desperately tried to hire Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Instead, Garrett opted to remain in Dallas and Baltimore was forced to move on, choosing Eagles special teams coordinator John Harbaugh as its new head coach.

Mike Shanahan is one of the most feared coaches in fantasy football because of the running back by committee. He might have competition with Ravens coach John Harbaugh.