NEW YORK - When Matthew Stafford was announced Saturday afternoon as the No. 1 selection in the NFL draft, his father, John Stafford, winced.

Not because his son, the former University of Georgia standout quarterback, was headed to the woebegone Detroit Lions - albeit with a handsome contract. Certainly not because he was shocked, inasmuch as the deal had been done late the previous evening while family and friends dined with Matthew at a Manhattan restaurant.

No, John Stafford momentarily was taken aback by the reaction from the raucous draft crowd at Radio City Music Hall. What he heard was a chorus of loud boos mixed with chants of "overrated." He admittedly winced.

But in an instant he recovered, and not because his son is set to earn a guaranteed $41 million on a six-year deal with a maximum value of $78 million.

"Matthew has always been very mature. He understands the pressures that are associated with it," Stafford said as he awaited his son's first news briefing as an NFL player. "He genuinely likes people, and I think he'll build relationships with fans, media and everyone else. He understands, just intuitively. ... He gets it, and he'll move forward."

And then, a few seconds later, John Stafford broke out his digital camera and documented the media session.

Back in their Allen Park, Mich., headquarters, the Lions and their revamped front office and coaching staff were smiling.

After all, they think they have their franchise quarterback.

Consider the words from general manager Martin Mayhew: "After the private workout, we started feeling really good about him and really comfortable with him. It's just the way he carried himself, how smart he was about the game. And the way he threw the football was very impressive. I was at his pro day and at the private workout, and this guy can throw the football. We think our fans will be really excited to see Matthew play."

Added new coach Jim Schwartz: "I think this is Year 17 in the NFL for me, and this is probably one of the few times I remember in 17 years having a consensus in the building for the No. 1 pick. ... When we started stacking the board and talking about different things in selection at No. 1, the thing that came off very strong about Matthew was the consensus of opinion, and it made it an easy pick."

For his part, Stafford cheerfully dismissed the crowd reaction, which came amid loudspeakers in the auditorium blasting a recorded version of the song "Detroit Rock City" by the rock group KISS.

He said he doesn't want to be loved. He just wants to win.

"You can't try to please everybody," he said, grinning.

Matthew's dad didn't wince this time. Rather, a broader smile would be hard to find. "He's totally ready for it," John Stafford said. "Totally ready for it."

Schwartz, on Sunday, echoed the elder Stafford's sentiments.

"Each step along the way, he jumped through whatever hoop we put up in front of him," Schwartz said of Stafford. "At that point it became clear he was going to be our guy."