“The wound,” John Fox says, “is healing.”

So I poked a stick in the gash.

During his convalescence, the Broncos coach spent last weekend at Augusta National, hallowed home of the Masters, playing golf with John Elway and Peyton Manning. Those two masters hit scores of impressive drives in three rounds. But their combined 95 game-winning drives are more imposing.

Upon Fox’s return, as we sat in a side office at Dove Valley, he said: “What do you want to talk about?”

Courteously, I asked about his golf game. “Not so good.”

Then, not so politely, I asked about The Football Game.

That was not so good, either. The Broncos lost to the Ravens in the fourth-longest game in NFL history.

Even though it’s 19 weeks later and time to move forward — Fox and the Broncos have begun OTAs — I’m not quite finished looking back. I wanted to talk about the coach’s decision to order Manning to take a knee.

“I’ve debated it with my staff, my wife, myself. I would do the same thing 10 times out of 10.”

What about the 11th time? Over the next half hour Fox and I sparred vigorously.

“When they scored the touchdown, you could hear crickets in the stadium,” he said. “You think the crowd was shocked? It was a lot harder on the players and the coaches. It was a 12-round fight. We had been knocked down by a hard punch. The best thing we could do was get up, regroup and get to the next round.”

I said: “The two greatest game-winning quarterbacks are in this building, and you had one in the game. You had 31 seconds and two timeouts. Why not take a couple of shots at it?”

“Too many bad things could happen. Remember, we had a pick-six earlier in the game.”

Very good things could have happened — three quick pass plays to the Ravens’ 40, or a pass interference, and a winning field goal, or the Broncos’ own Hail Mary touchdown.

“I’d rather take my chances in overtime.”

Weird things could happen in OT — like the Tebow-to-Thomas touchdown on the first play against the Steelers, and Fox’s Panthers did win on the road in the second overtime of a playoff game in St. Louis in 2004.

In the Super Bowl that season, the Panthers tied the Patriots at 29 late. After the kickoff, the Patriots, with 1:08 remaining, drove for the winning field goal.

“I still wouldn’t change what we did at the end of the fourth quarter.”

“But,” Fox paused, then stunned me, “you’re talking about the wrong play. I would change what we did on third-and-7 the series before.”

The real mistake, according to the coach, occurred when the Broncos could have run out the clock, but gave the Ravens the ball for that final Flacco fling.

“That’s the one that gnaws at me. We get the first down there, and Baltimore can’t stop the clock again, and the game’s over,” he says.

“And,” I say, “you go on to the Super Bowl and become world champions instead of the Ravens, and live happily ever after.” Fox didn’t reply.

The Broncos had stopped the Ravens on fourth down at the Broncos’ 31 with 3:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. With rookie running back Ronnie Hillman rushing on four straight plays, Baltimore used up its timeouts, and the Broncos had possession at their 47, third-and-7, at the two-minute warning.

Here’s what’s going on: The Ravens knew the Broncos would run, based on the time and the offensive package (a running back and a fullback, two blocking tights end, a third tackle and only one receiver). So the defense jammed eight players, with two more defensive backs attacking the line at the handoff.

Fox doesn’t call plays. Former offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, with input from current coordinator Adam Gase, ran the offense.

The Broncos’ grouping and mind- set ought to have been named “Rush Limbaugh” because they went ultra-conservative at that juncture. They should have passed on first or second down, and definitely should have switched to a receiving package on third down — and, at least, given Manning (28-of-43) the option to call an audible at the line, and throw to a tight end (nine catches, 90 yards). Manning (who couldn’t change the play with that bunch in the game) was forced to go with the running play with an outside runner spearing again inside toward right guard. No gain.

“What would you have called?” I asked Fox.

“I don’t know, but something that would pick up a first down.”

The Broncos had to punt. On third down, Joe Flacco threw for the tying touchdown. The Ravens won in the second overtime.

Bury the Broncos’ hearts at Wounded (Take A) Knee.

The healing process has started. Fox and I turned to another topic. “Well, how does the team look, Coach?”

Last time the Broncos suffered such a devastating playoff wound (1996), they won the next two Super Bowls.

Woody Paige: 303-954-1095, wpaige@denverpost.com or twitter.com/woodypaige