Despite new faces, NY Giants look like same team from last year

John Mara and Steve Tisch opened their vault and allowed the Giants to add $116 million worth of contracts in an unprecedented offseason overhaul. Tom Coughlin shook up his offensive coaching staff, too. And now, two games in, the Giants have left everyone who has watched them with this depressing, nagging feeling:
They spent all that money and did all that offseason work for this?
Because right now, there is no argument to be made that the rebuilt, retooled 2014 Giants are any better than the incredibly disappointing version that missed the playoffs (again) in 2013. That team was 0-2, just like this one, on its way to a shocking 0-6 start. Maybe this team will stop the losing long before it gets that far.
But at this point is there any reason to believe that at all?
On Sunday the Giants lost, 25-14, to a tired Arizona Cardinals team coming off a short week and a cross-country flight, a team that was forced to play with a backup quarterback who hadn’t thrown an NFL pass in four years. And the mistakes they made – the costly penalties, the drops, the fumbles, the interceptions, the punch-in-the-gut follies on special teams – were exactly the kind of mistakes the Giants were making all last year.
So why would anyone think they’re really any better? Why would anybody believe at this point that this season won’t end up in the same, miserable, playoff-less way?
“I think we’re a better team than last year and I think we’ll keep grinding,” said Eli Manning. “We made improvements this week. We made strides.”
“We’ll be all right,” added defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. “Trust me, we’ll be all right. I know my team. We’ll come together.”