HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) One of the last things a cornerback wants to see is Jerome Bettis heading toward him at the goal line. Jamie Henderson simply lowered his shoulder and detoured "The Bus."

Twice.

The plays happened early in the Jets' 16-6 preseason victory last week at Pittsburgh. Bettis, the Steelers' 256-pound running back, met head-on with Henderson, a 202-pound second-year cornerback. Henderson flattened Bettis once, then again. When Mo Lewis stopped Bettis on third down, the Jets had put together an impressive goal-line stand.

"He put on a display on how to tackle Jerome Bettis," coach Herman Edwards said of Henderson, who had nine tackles and recovered a fumble. "That's the first time I have seen that, a cornerback tackling that guy twice in a row."

It won't make Henderson a star, but it sure got him noticed. Edwards believes the 2001 fourth-round pick from Georgia will make many more such plays.

"We drafted him as a corner and for what we are going to ask our corners to do, he fits that mold better," Edwards said. "He's a big corner. He is going to be fine.

"He was a junior college guy coming in who played linebacker at Georgia. He's a track guy. He is just learning how to play cornerback."

Henderson attended Mississippi Gulf Coast College. He made his mark as a 110-meter hurdler there and at Georgia, where he holds the school record of 13.51 seconds.

Saying a college player is a "track guy" can be a negative in the NFL. Not for Henderson, whose penchant for hitting contradicts any hint of softness.

"I remember on Thanksgiving back home, we'd play backyard football, everybody would hit," he said. "With pads on, I was an even better hitter.

"I've always been a pretty nice hitter and it's something I've carried with me. It's not something I developed."

For now, Henderson must develop as the fourth cornerback behind veterans Donnie Abraham and Aaron Beasley, both free-agent acquisitions, and nickel back Ray Mickens. He will be a regular in the goal-line defense and on special teams.

More performances like the one in Pittsburgh certainly won't hurt his case.

"I think I showed this team I can be a big hitter and that gave them the idea I can play that position," he said. "It makes me feel good about going in and having a good game and the coaches see I can play, and there won't be any hesitation to put me in."

Edwards, a former NFL cornerback who coached the secondary in Tampa Bay before being hired as the Jets' head coach, has not been tempted to switch Henderson to safety. Several other teams projected Henderson as a safety before the draft.

"We drafted him as a corner," Edwards said. "He's big, he's fast, he's not afraid to tackle. He showed up last year and did a good job on special teams, he blocked a punt in Carolina. ... He did some other things and now he's showing what he can do for the defensive players and will continue to improve."

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