The Jordan Love Era Begins With a Bears Beatdown [WATCH]

The words that follow are going to be a bit biased. I am, after all, a Green Bay Packers fan. But Sunday was a day that I'd been looking forward to for quite a while. A new era has begun. The Jordan Love era. And just like all of his teammates, I've never wanted a player to succeed more than I have the new QB1 in Green Bay.

For those that don't remember, Love was drafted by the Packers four years ago in a move that by most accounts angered then QB1 Aaron Rodgers. The perceived slight lit a fire under Rodgers and he put together back-to-back MVP seasons. But there was no playoff success. No second Super Bowl title for Rodgers. All we got was talk of ayahuasca and darkness retreats. Rodgers got weird and the Packers got tired of it. And through all of that drama, what did Jordan Love do? He showed up for work. He bonded with the new receivers during mini-camp. He took the first-team reps in the summer while Rodgers vacationed. He sat patiently and learned. And last year when he was called upon during the Philadelphia game, he showed why the Packers moved up to draft him in the first place.

This offseason, Green Bay finally tired of Rodger's antics and traded him to the Jets. Jordan Love's three-year wait was over. The team was his. He arranged private workout sessions for him and his teammates in California. He arrived at training camp on time. He became a vocal leader, earning the respect of teammates and coaches. And he said all the right things. He remains deferential towards Rodgers, and frequently talks about how much he learned from the future Hall of Famer. He heaps praise on his teammates and understands that there are bound to be some ups and downs during the course of the season.

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After a stellar pre-season, Love and the Packers opened up on Sunday in Chicago to take on the Bears. The oldest rivalry in the NFL hasn't been much of one in recent years. The Packers under Aaron Rodgers against the Bears were 24-5. You can understand why the city of Chicago was more than happy to welcome Jordan Love and NOT Rodgers to Soldier Field on Sunday! But then, something strange yet familiar happened.

The new QB1 did many of the same things the old gunslinger used to do. If Aaron Rodgers 'owned' the Chicago Bears, he transferred that ownership on Sunday over to Jordan Love. The quiet, humble, hard-working kid who sat and waited for his chance. Bears fans can't believe what they witnessed. First, it was Brett Favre, then Aaron Rodgers. Could the Packers have another Hall of Fame-level quarterback in Jordan Love?

Despite the fun in Chicago, it was just one game. Another road test in Atlanta awaits Love and the Packers on Sunday. I'm not sure if this Green Bay team will even make the playoffs this year. But what I am sure of is Jordan Love was worth the wait. He is proof that hard work pays off. How can you not be happy for him? Unless you're a Bears fan. Sorry Chicago.

GO PACK GO.