BEREA, Ohio — The dominant feeling around the Cleveland Browns the day after the 2016 season ended? Overwhelming optimism.

To a man, players, coaches and front-office types believe this long and miserable season has laid a foundation. Hue Jackson said that this 1-15 finish is different because it set up the future. The Browns are proud that they did not quit, that they fought to the end in overtime in Pittsburgh. They also believe strength is forged from struggle.

"Nobody likes the record, by any stretch of the imagination," Jackson said. "But I truly believe the foundation is set for some of the things that we want to do as we move forward."

Director of strategy Paul DePodesta called the season painful, like a toothache, but also said he felt positive vibes on Monday.

"I was struck by the tenor of the conversations throughout the building today, especially our players, how optimistic they are, how bright they feel the future is here," DePodesta said. "I share their enthusiasm."

Vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said the positives included the players' "buy-in" of Jackson's programs, and the change in culture brought about by the hiring of Jackson.

The words thrown around pushed the limits of the thesaurus. DePodesta said he's more optimistic than he was a year ago when he joined the Browns. He added that the Browns made "tremendous progress" in 2016.

"There is a belief around the building that we're heading in the right direction," Brown said. "That is extremely important and a cornerstone of the foundation that we needed to lay this year.”

If it sounds counterintuitive, well, it might be.

It's tough to look at any 1-15 season and find positives, but the Browns tore the team down to the nails. They endured a far worse season than they anticipated, but now plan to build it back up.

The leadership structure remains in place. DePodesta worked in baseball until a year ago. Brown was hired by the Browns as general counsel and eventually became the salary-cap guy. Jackson is the traditional football guy. Scouts will work with analytics folks, who will crunch the numbers to find the best options.

"Nobody likes the record, by any stretch of the imagination," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "But I truly believe the foundation is set for some of the things that we want to do." AP Photo/Gail Burton

DePodesta gave an inkling to how analytics were used in the front office when he pointed out that more than 25 percent of the team's snaps were taken by rookies -- "which was not only the most in the league but the most in the league at any time in the last four years, and by a pretty wide margin," he said. "That is what Hue and his staff were working with every week."

Brown said, "I would not have imagined, if anybody asked me, that we would have the type of results that we had this year. But I also would have had a harder time believing that we would have the ability to establish the type of positive culture and work ethic that we have in light of the losing experience."

The Browns believe intangibles are the type of things that winning teams need. They admit they need to add more talent, and decide if their quarterback is on the roster or elsewhere, but they believe in the intangibles they've forged.

And the players believe as well.

"The path we're on is great," left tackle Joe Thomas said. "We've got the right head coach. We've got the right management team. I think definitely things are looking up for the Cleveland Browns."

And just like that, the memory of the 2016 season was shoved into the back of closet. The focus and the effort turned to 2017.

"This season," Jackson said, "is over."