BEREA, Ohio -- Joe Thomas made an appearance at the podium on Thursday afternoon and essentially delivered a state-of-the-Browns address.

Thomas, the All-Pro left tackle who is out for the season with a torn triceps, has remained visible with the team following the injury against the Titans on Oct. 22.

"This team right now is set up for a long run of success starting next year," Thomas said.

His optimism comes in a week in which the Browns are staring at the possibility of 0-16, in 2017, which would be 1-31 in the last two seasons. It has resulted in the firing of Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown and hiring of General Manager John Dorsey. Owner Jimmy Haslam has already said that head coach Hue Jackson will be back in 2018.

Thursday, Thomas struck a chord between endorsing the ideas behind the plan and also supporting a head coach who has come under fire during most of its execution.

"I think Hue really has not been given the opportunity yet to prove what kind of coach he is," Thomas said. "From a wins and losses standpoint, obviously, the plan for a few years here was to try to attain the highest draft picks possible, which is what we have successfully done. Unfortunately, as that is going on, the coaches have a hard time winning any games because of the depth that they are given to play with."

The plan Thomas is referring to, of course, was Brown's aggressive strategy to acquire as many picks as possible, most notably trading out of the No. 2 pick in 2016 and and dealing away the No. 12 pick in 2017. Thomas said he started to notice the plan taking shape when a wave of veterans, including center Alex Mack and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, were allowed to leave in free agency following the 2015 season. Since then, he's seen other longtime members of the team sent packing as well.

"You still get frustrated over the years that those guys like Joe Haden got cut and John Greco," Thomas said. "Guys that you know are some of the best players on the team, but to stick to the plan, you had to get rid of them. It was always tough. I think some guys had a harder time buying into the plan than other people."

Thomas said it was the idea of sustainability -- that getting more and higher picks as opposed to just using the picks and cap space you already have each year -- is likely what sold ownership on the plan. It was about probability. Hitting on picks is hard to do, so create more chances.

"What we've done is we've sacrificed two years of pain for a long-term, multiple years of gain starting next year and the following year," Thomas said. "Because if you look at our salary cap space, if you look at the number of young guys who've played and gotten experience right now on this team and then you look at the number of high draft picks we have next year and the following year, there's no reason that we can't be really, really good starting next year and the following year."

But playing that probability game came with a cost.

"I think the big oversight was just how painful it is to go through two years of so much losing for the fans, the city, the players, the coaches," Thomas said. "That's sort of the overlooked aspect of taking a strictly probability standpoint on turning a team around."

The reality of all of this, of course, is that no matter how many picks the team has, the right person had to be making them. When Haslam fired Brown, it was clear the owner didn't believe in Brown's decisions.

So, what does Thomas think of Dorsey?

"He's one of the most well-respected personnel men from just a pure, watch-film, football standpoint as any GM in the NFL," Thomas said. "So I think the fans should definitely be excited about having him be the one that's making those selections."

As for the other part of the equation -- a head coach who has won one of his 31 games over his two seasons?

"I think he is really excited for us to begin a new era where we are spending money in free agency and using our draft picks to select high players, not saving any assets or money for the future," Thomas said. "We are going to basically start going all in like the other 31 NFL teams do every year and give the coaches an opportunity to improve on the win-loss record they have had so far."

Still, has his confidence in Jackson been shaken because of the record?

"No, it hasn't," he said, "and, based on the comments I made earlier, I think he's an excellent coach."

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