As players from both conferences exchanged handshakes at the close of yesterday's Pro Bowl, Washington Redskin tight end Chris Cooley stood at the 50-yard line and squinted in the direction of the scoreboard.

"Sean would have loved this," said Cooley. "He would have had a blast."

Sean, of course, is Sean Taylor, the ferocious Redskins safety who died last November after being shot during a home-invasion robbery.

Cooley and teammates Chris Samuels and Ethan Albright each wore Taylor's No. 21 yesterday at the request of Taylor's family.

Cooley caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Taylor received a warm ovation from the crowd of 50,044 when his picture was flashed on the scoreboard.

"Sean loved football so much," Cooley said. "It was everything that made him happy. We played hard for him today.

"It's been a great week, but it's sad, y'know," Cooley said. "I miss him."

"I wanted to go out and play well for Sean and I did," Samuels said. "He played with so much heart. Me and the guys who wore 21 were honored. It was a big deal for us."

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Samuels said he's not at all concerned about the surprise hiring of Jim Zorn as his new head coach, despite Zorn's relative lack of experience.

Zorn spent the past seven seasons as quarterbacks coach in Seattle before being hired as Washington's offensive coordinator two weeks ago.

"He'll do a great job," Samuels said. "Somebody had to give him a shot and I'm glad it was us."

MACK-DADDY

Ray Lewis is a get-to-the-point kind of guy, so his scouting report on new University of Hawai'i football coach Greg McMackin shouldn't be surprising.

"He's a great coordinator and a great man," said Lewis, one of McMackin's charges during his stint as defensive coordinator at the University of Miami. "He'll do a great job at Hawai'i."

Lewis, who recorded two tackles in limited minutes yesterday, was just as direct in describing McMackin's impact on his life and career.

"He taught me how to be a man," Lewis said. "Period."

"MINE!"

San Diego's Antonio Cromartie tied a Pro Bowl record with two interceptions yesterday.

Cromartie, who led the league with 10 interceptions this season, caught both balls off of tips and returned them for a combined 77 yards.

"If I get a hand on it, it's mine," Cromartie said. "I wasn't going for any record. I just wanted to have fun."

Cromartie joins a long list of Pro Bowlers with two interceptions, including the Ravens' Ed Reed, who accomplished the feat last year.

NO ALOHA FOR YOU

During team introductions, the loudest responses were elicited by the contingent from the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots. The Cowboys received an even mix of cheers and jeers (but more boos than yahoos for receiver Terrell Owens). The Super Bowl runner-up Patriots, still trailing the whiff of Spygate, drew a loud, drawn-out roar of disapproval.

Owens, who was booed several times in the first half, said the negative reaction didn't bother him, though he was gratified by the turn of opinion that ultimately followed his 101-yard, two-touchdown performance for the NFC.

"We had great representation with 13 guys here at the game and it's always nice when the fans support us," Owens said. "People can think what they want. Today was special."

In typical Patriot fashion, New England's Asante Samuel sloughed off the fans' reaction, but made a powerful statement with a teeth-rattling hit on Larry Fitzgerald early in the third.

PUTTING UP POINTS

The AFC and NFC's combined 48 points in the first half set a Pro Bowl record for points in a half.

IMPRESSIVE PIPES

Pro Bowl officials made a wise choice in tapping singer Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, to sing the National Anthem. Rowland's mighty voice had to carry over an accompaniment of rockets (and their red glare), bombs (bursting on field, if not in air) and a deafening flyover by a trio of Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.