LEDYARD, Conn. -- When Joe Theismann got a chance to see Bernard Pollard’s takedown of Tom Brady in the 2008 season-opener, he instantly knew what had happened to the Patriots’ quarterback.

“I look at that hit constantly,” Theismann said of the blow to Brady’s left knee that sidelined him for the rest of the season. “He double-clutches going forward and basically steps into a right hook -- unfortunately for him, it was a left knee.”

But Theismann -- who suffered one of the worst football injuries of all time when Lawrence Taylor rolled up on his right leg in a 1985 game, leaving him with a compound fracture and ending his career -- said unlike what happened to him, Brady is a long way from being done.

“It looks like he’s in great shape,” said the former Redskins quarterback. “Tom’s a tireless worker. He’s a smart quarterback. He’s not the kind of kid who’s going to go out and put himself in harm’s way and say, ‘Oh, gosh. I’m going to have to do this to get ready.’”

Speaking Monday morning at a celebrity golf tournament at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Lake of Isles course in North Stonington, Conn. -- an outing that included Taylor, as well as other former NFL stars like Marcus Allen and Jim McMahon -- Theismann proclaimed New England as one of the teams to beat this season, and warned the doubters who believe it will struggle.

“The Pats, if you don’t think they’re going to be in the middle of this in January and February, you’re kidding yourself,” he said.

Theismann is a self-confessed fan of New England, but said it gave away quarterback Matt Cassel when the Patriots dealt him and Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a second-round pick.

“I want to know if Bill’s got any more deals -- on houses, cars, boats, planes,” said Theismann with a smile. “Is there anything else out there he might want to get rid of? For 500 bucks, maybe I can get a home out on Nantucket.”

But he did acknowledge the move was consistent with the Patriots’ overall team-building approach: it doesn’t matter how good your two quarterbacks might be, $30 million is too much to wrap up in one position.

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“I think they felt like franchising him at $16 million, it was going to be a ridiculous number anyway,” Theismann said. “So Matt had to basically be moved. And this was an opportunity for them to get a second-round pick. And when you look at the Patriots, they ended up with 12 picks total. This is what Bill does.

“Bill Belichick is one of the smartest men I’ve been around in the game of football. He knows the game inside and out, and the one thing that people don’t give him enough credit for is that he knows the offensive side of the game. He’s known as a defensive guru, but I want to tell you, he’s as good an offensive coordinator as you’re going to find. He understands what his football team needs -- and it didn’t need Matt.”

Theismann is interested in seeing how Cassel performs this season with the Chiefs. Going from backup to starter is a route that Theismann took -- he started as the No. 2 quarterback with the Redskins before he assumed the starter's job after a few seasons in Washington. It eventually landed him a pair of Super Bowl rings and an NFL MVP honor.

He knows that the most difficult stage of the transition from backup to starter doesn’t necessarily come when the quarterback first takes control, but after you’ve taken your first spin around the league. After everyone sees you, you become a known quantity and defensive coordinators find it easier to formulate a game plan for you.

But Theismann said that shouldn’t be a problem for Cassel for a couple of reasons. First, he’s working with Kansas City coach Todd Haley, who has guided the careers of many successful quarterbacks. (Theismann calls him a “great mentor.”) And second, Cassel is smart enough to know that defensive coordinators already have tape on him from the 2008 season, and he can adjust if needed.

“He’s seen everything. It’s not like he took over for four weeks or six weeks. He played an entire season,” Theismann said of Cassel. “People had a book on Matt Cassel after Week 10. It’s not going to be any different after Week 16.

“So in my mind, the book is sort of out the window because he’s not a rookie. He spent some time in the league. Yes, it’s the first time he’s played a lot, but the mistakes he made, he’s going to grow from as well.”