DeAngelo Williams isn't ready to surrender the "Smash & Dash" nickname to the Tennessee Titans just yet, at least not until Carolina Panthers fans choose a moniker they like better.

It turns out that Williams and White are close friends, dating back to their time together at the NFL combine before the 2006 draft.

So when Williams heard about White staking claim to the "Smash & Dash" nickname and accusing Williams and Jonathan Stewart of "swagger-jacking" the title, Williams telephoned White.

Williams said he left a message and that White called him back.

"He was laughing before I even said anything," Williams said.

White claims to have come up with the nickname for himself and teammate Chris Johnson after they combined to run for more than 300 yards against Kansas City on Oct. 19.

"Smash & Dash" T-shirts to sell for charity were printed in Nashville with cartoon images of White and Johnson.

The name also was widely used to describe Williams and Stewart after they totaled 301 yards in Monday night's 38-23 win over Tampa Bay.

White jokingly suggested that Williams and Stewart should be called "Identity & Theft," which Williams thought was hilarious.

"That was pretty good," he said. "I couldn't come up with any snazzy comeback.

"I've got to come up with some clever one-liners so I can get him back."

Williams said he had lost touch with White recently, but that the nickname controversy likely had reignited their friendship.

"We'll probably talk after every game now," Williams said. "He's a great guy.

"I think this story of him coming out like this kind of brought us back together. ... It was awesome to read his story."

But Williams said he has no intention of backing down or being bullied by White, saying he's not ready to ask Panthers' fans to stop calling him and Stewart "Smash & Dash."

"They can keep doing it," Williams said. "I didn't come up with it. Stewart didn't come up with it. If the fans tag you as that, then it's something special.

"If the fans want to continue to call us 'Smash & Dash,' we're all for it. We can be the 'Smash & Dash' of the NFC, and they can be the 'Smash & Dash' of the AFC.

"I may have to fight this thing, I don't know. He said he's got it copyrighted. I'm waiting on the documents, though."

While Williams enjoyed having fun with the issue, Stewart wanted nothing to do with it.

"I'm not going to feed the fire," Stewart said. "I'm not even really going to talk about it. I'm just going to stay out of that whole nonsense."

Williams was impressed by some of the potential nicknames Charlotte Observer readers recommended via blog comments and e-mails.

"These people are awesome!" he said.

Two he particularly liked were "Boom & Zoom" and "Wheel & Steel." He also noted that some people (including receiver Steve Smith) have called him and Stewart "Razzle & Dazzle."

Williams didn't want to pick a favorite, however.

"I don't want to name us. I'll let the fans do it," he said. "If you want to put those up and do a fan poll and whatever they come up with, I'm fine with it as long as we stay productive back there, because it can go the other way fast."

Williams said he thought Smash & Dash should be included in the poll.

"It's not over with yet," he said, turning his face directly toward a television camera filming his remarks. "I'm not giving up that easy, LenDale."