In honor of Sunday's Orange Out at Paycor Stadium, the Ruler of the Jungle is donning his jersey for the first on the field since he played his last game at Riverfront Stadium more than 30 years ago.

The orange "Muñoz 78," most likely makes it on the field before the game so the popular Anthony Muñoz, the greatest offensive lineman who ever lived, can greet the faithful and show his grandson Austin around before they climb the golden stairs to the throne. That's where Muñoz plans to get the crowd in a frenzy before the opening kickoff.

"I got my orange jersey, an orange hat, the staff and I'm ready to bring the house down and get everybody fired up," Muñoz says.

Muñoz, 68, believes the Bengals "are ready to make a lot of noise this year," but as he surveys Sunday's sellout and sees the Buccaneers of Tampa Bay on the other sideline, he'll no doubt flash back to another Bengals home opener.

It was 1980 at Riverfront, Muñoz's NFL debut on Bengals founder Paul Brown's 72^nd birthday, and the man on the other side of him, Lee Roy Selmon, the Bucs' unblockable pass rusher, came in as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Muñoz arrived as the third pick in the draft. Since he had played just one game at USC the year before because of a knee injury, there were those calling Muñoz the biggest gamble of Brown's Pro Football Hall of Fame career as he went to his box to watch the game .

Little did they know that Muñoz would join Brown in the Hall in 1998. To no one's surprise, Selmon was already there.

"Talk about starting your career going against the best," Muñoz says. "My whole attitude was, OK, now it starts. I've got to start proving myself that I deserved to be picked that high. So, let's prepare and get ready."

Muñoz remembers coming out of it pretty well. Selmon didn't dominate, but his defense did in a 17-12 win that also handed Forrest Gregg a loss in his Bengals' head coaching debut. But they were in the Super Bowl the next year, and Muñoz was on his way to Canton.

Selmon, who passed in 2011 at age 56, struck Muñoz as a classy player who went about his business with quiet excellence.

"He did everything well," Muñoz says of the 6-3, 256-pound Selmon. "Remember, he wasn't 280, 290. But he was quick. I wouldn't even say he was fast. But quick, strong and fast enough. There were guys who were great at one thing. But he could do it all against the run and pass."

Only in the NFL.

Selmon was the first overall pick out of Oklahoma in 1976. On Sunday, the Bucs quarterback is Baker Mayfield, the first overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2018.

The Bengals have some karma on their side, too. The man playing Muñoz's position, Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., was teammates with Mayfield in Norman, where Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was born and raised.

As always, Muñoz is keeping his eyes on Brown's offensive line.

"I believe we'll score some points because we'll run the ball, too," Muñoz says. "I'm excited about our team. I tell people usually I'm cautiously optimistic. This is the most excited I've been in a few years about what we've got going on the field Sunday. As a big fan and former player, I guess I have high expectations for this team."

Slants and Screens

ACU weather has the mercury hitting 85 degrees at kickoff time, which would make it the fourth hottest home game in Bengals history and tied with last year's Paycor opener …

Selmon would love Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. He loves to pressure the quarterback and loves to blitz (top five percentage last year). Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher is comforted by the communication of the most intact offensive line he's had.

"Especially early in the season, there's an increased challenge of you're having to make educated guesses on what you need to be ready for and how much of what they did last year carries over to this year, what's going to be new," Pitcher said this week. "We don't know what is new. So that's where your rules are critical, your communication is critical. And to your point, the continuity of the guys that are doing that communicating is a big deal." …

How about old friend Zac Robinson, a Bengals practice squad quarterback a decade ago, surfacing as the Bucs offensive coordinator? He was with Mayfield in his days with the Rams, so expect a lot of pre-snap motion and throws to the running backs that act as a running game.

Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, analyzing the game for Sports USA Radio, does. He sees the Bucs testing linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr., and Barrett Carter.

"They saw they struggled at times as rookies last year and they'll go after them," Lewis said …

Speaking of Lewis, also with the Bucs is his long-time quarterbacks coach with the Bengals, Ken Zampese, now Tampa Bay's senior offensive assistant working in the pass game …