The Super Bowl is over, the confetti is being swept up in New York's Canyon of Heroes, players are in or headed to any number of recreational sites to heal their wounds and get some R and R.

And within organizations, the building for next year is under way.

A key factor for all to remember is that each season is its own, it has its own ups and downs, its own results and ultimately, it deserves its own dignity.

The Denver Broncos from 1986 through 1998 won 14 playoff games in that 13-year span, including five Super Bowl appearances and back to back world championships.

It was an era unmatched in Broncos history and rarely matched by any other NFL franchises.

Since then, in the following 13 years, the Broncos have won just two playoff games.  Broncos fans know that fact just as well, as most people cheered through both eras.

But there is always a steady flow to the passage of time—when does one period begin and another leave off?

That period of great team success featured John Elway as the Broncos quarterback, no small coincidence, as anyone who knows the game is aware of the value of having an all-time great as signal caller.

And last year John Elway returned to the Broncos, this time as executive vice president of football operations.

This is a new era, with the year 2012 season two of this new era, and right now the Broncos are one-for-one in making the playoffs, and winning a playoff game.

This is now.

The just concluded season was a great one for Broncos fans, a thrill ride that excited and tested every emotion fans can have.

Now, a new team is being built, one which will feature many of the very same players, growing and developing their skill sets to improve themselves and the team.  But because healthy competition is an inevitable and necessary part of pro football,
 There will be new players here as well, some acquired through free agency and some acquired form colleges and universities via the draft and post draft signings.

And when the new season's camp begins, the fastest and strongest and hardest working and most skilled will be determined.

Time will march on, but it will be a new season.

So revel in the joy of the exciting year we just experienced, but remember that 2012 is like an unwrapped present under the Christmas tree.  We can't be sure what is in the package, but it is always exciting to unwrap it!

Next up for the Broncos and the other 31 teams are the scouting combine in Indianapolis, free agency, OTA's and the draft.

It is all part of the process of time marching on in the NFL.

Enjoy the past, be excited for the future, but revel in the present.  That's where we are right now.

As Chuck Knox, longtime NFL head coach for the Rams and Seahawks, used to say, "The past is a cancelled check. The future is a promissory note.  But today is cash."

Let's not worry about future answers—they will take care of themselves as given the opportunity.

The now looks pretty good for both the Broncos and the NFL.