To think the Cleveland Browns are not burdened by their past would be ignoring reality.

The team's massive struggles since 1999 magnify its present struggles and eliminate any shred of patience. It's understandable for fans to lose faith after seeing little but schlock for 17 years, and it's frustrating for the team, which isn't trying to lose.

A miserable 0-12 season has been made even more miserable by the years of post-expansion misery.

But none of that means the Browns' rebuilding plan won't work. Losing in the past and losing this season does not guarantee more losing in the future. The failings of previous regimes doesn't guarantee the present one will fail. The only guarantee of failure is if owner Jimmy Haslam again loses patience and changes course. That will make a restart and another rebuild a certainty.

The Browns' new regime is off to a miserable start in terms of wins and losses, but the plan can still work. Here are a few factors to consider:

1. The Browns gutted the roster to rebuild the team

Yes, it hurt in the short term to let players such as Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack and Travis Benjamin leave. But the team committed to rebuilding with younger players, and it didn't make a half-baked attempt. The bottom line: The Browns went 3-13 in 2015 with those players and wanted to start fresh with new coach Hue Jackson.

2. The Browns told us about this ahead of time

The day the 2015 season ended, Haslam said he was embarking on a "multiyear rebuild." By that definition, this rebuild has not hit the first turn.

Multiyear means more than one, which means the team's intent this season was to lay a foundation with a new coach and new players while trying to win as many games as possible. Thus, this season was not totally about wins and losses.

The Browns didn't go half-hearted with their "reboot" (the word Jackson prefers). This roster was pared to the nails. Anyone who thought the roster as comprised could win six games was drinking spiked eggnog.

3. The team is building a new culture with its new coach

Jackson is the linchpin of everything the Browns are doing. He is the face of the franchise, the guy entrusted with building a culture that leads to wins. It hasn't happened yet, but Jackson is unwavering that it will, and the players have not abandoned him.

Pro Bowl offensive lineman Joe Thomas even called him exceptional.

Of course, Thomas also said this of the idea of a winning culture: "I'm not sure that I've ever believed in culture or anything like that. To me, that's just a matter of, do you have good players that play well? Then all of a sudden you have a winning culture."

Which is pretty much spot-on.

Which leads to …

4. The team has a bundle of extra draft picks

The Browns have extra first-, second- and fifth-round picks in 2017. They have extra second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks in 2018. They gave up a conditional fourth-round pick to the Patriots for LB Jamie Collins, whom they must sign. But if he leaves via free agency, they likely will receive a fourth-round pick as a compensatory pick.

If the Browns keep all of these picks, they will have four of the top 64 players in the '17 draft. That should be four new starters.

More picks increase the chances of success. These picks also could provide flexibility if the Browns decide to move up or (perish the thought) down in the draft.

The picks are the foundation of the team's approach, and the Browns have a lot of them. On paper, this is a good thing.

5. Lots of salary-cap room

At the moment, ESPN Stats & Information says the Browns have $82.7 million in cap space for 2017. A fair portion of that will be eaten up, but the Browns could be $40 million to $50 million under the cap when the offseason starts.

At some point, the team will use that cap room to improve the roster. It may be waiting for the right time -- such as the Cleveland Indians' acquisition of relief pitcher Andrew Miller before this year's World Series run -- but the cap space is there for the taking.

Some of these factors are intangible -- things like mental belief, approach and culture. But the draft picks are tangible, as is the cap space (though unused cap space pretty much is as useless as an egg on the sidewalk). There are opportunities for improvement.

The two most important parts of the equation are, (A) the Browns have to find a quarterback, and (B) they have to hit on their draft picks.

The quarterback is a given. Jackson admits it, saying he was brought to Cleveland to find that player.

The draft picks can't be wasted. Every year that happens is another year away from fixing the mess.

Johnny Manziel is a perfect example. The team misjudged him on and off the field, and as a result, the Browns wasted two years trying to see if he could play. Once those years are gone, it takes the same amount of time to find and groom another quarterback.

It's not hyperbole to say that drafting Manziel set the Browns back five years.

The addition of injury-prone QB Robert Griffin III has done little to help. That's another year wasted on trying to get him ready, and another year will be spent finding and developing the new guy.

There are many who feel the Browns blew it by not taking Carson Wentz. But the team likes the extra picks it acquired. Wentz can't be judged this soon in his career, nor can the trade. But if the Browns got that one wrong, it's another error.

A rebooting team can't afford errors.

Extra picks guarantee nothing. The Ray Farmer era included back-to-back seasons with two first-round picks. Those turned out to be CB Justin Gilbert, Manziel, NT Danny Shelton and C Cam Erving. Shelton has made great strides this season. The other three … eh.

Having the picks provides the chance. Using them properly defines success.

Yes, the Browns' approach can work.

They have to just get it right.