Adam Gase talks interviews with 49ers, respect for Jed York

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Jim Tomsula is not in the NFL and Adam Gase is in the midst of a five-game winning streak.

The evidence suggests the 49ers made the wrong choice after choosing to part with Jim Harbaugh.

Twenty-two months after passing over Gase for their opening, the 49ers will get a reminder of that decision when they visit the NFL’s youngest head coach and the Dolphins on Sunday.

Gase, 38, has a 6-4 career record and five wins since Oct. 16. The 49ers have six wins (and 20 losses) since they hired Tomsula, their longtime defensive line coach who was fired and replaced by Chip Kelly after a 5-11 season.

On Wednesday, Gase spent part of his conference call with Bay Area reporters praising the 49ers, for whom he worked as an offensive assistant in 2008. He also acknowledged the 49ers didn’t stop pursuing him even after they chose Tomsula, who had not been an NFL coordinator: Tomsula tried to hire Gase as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator.

Gase decided to take the same position with the Bears, who had just hired John Fox, his boss for the previous four seasons in Denver. Gase and Tomsula were colleagues during Gase’s lone season with the 49ers.

“I have a lot of respect for Jim,” Gase said. “He always treated me so great when I was an offensive assistant. He went out of his way to approach me. We had a great relationship. That was very tough for me as far as deciding to go to Chicago because I thought that was the best move for me at the time.

“I have a lot of friends in that building. And I have a lot of people that I respect. And obviously my respect for the York family is very, very high. I want the best for those guys all the time. That was a tough decision for me.”

However, it’s safe to say Gase has no regrets.

Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase walks off the field after their 14-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase walks off the field after their 14-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Photo: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press Photo: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Adam Gase talks interviews with 49ers, respect for Jed York 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

After a season in Chicago, where maligned quarterback Jay Cutler had the best passer rating of his 11-year career under Gase’s direction, Gase’s star has continued to rise in Miami. The Dolphins have matched last season’s win total and have a chance to claim their first winning season and playoff berth since 2008.

Gase was jokingly asked about his transformation during Miami’s winning streak: from in-over-his-head rookie coach back to boy genius.

“Everybody looks at things on a weekly basis,” Gase said. “Sometimes in the NFL, as coaches and players, we can kind of see the whole thing. Sometimes the outside perception isn’t really what reality is.”

So why didn’t the 49ers perceive Gase to be the right coach to succeed Harbaugh?

They were obviously comfortable with Tomsula, whom they hired in 2007. They still should have had a comfort level with Gase. Both York and general manager Trent Baalke knew him from his season with the 49ers, and Gase was coming off a record-breaking debut as an offensive coordinator with the Broncos: Denver had the NFL’s highest two-season point total (1,088) under his tutelage, although there were questions about how Gase would have fared without Peyton Manning at quarterback.

Whatever the case, Gase said he harbors no ill will after his two interviews with the 49ers, which included a lengthy second visit with Baalke in Denver. Gase said those sit-downs prepared him for his head-coach interviews after the 2015 season. Gase met with the Eagles, Browns and Dolphins before joining Miami.

“Spending all the time with Trent was a really valuable experience for me, and it was extremely helpful for me when I went through that next round of interviews,” Gase said. “The do’s and don’ts of what to do. Just kind of the expectations. I owe those guys a lot just for the fact that they did give me that second interview … Nobody else gave me that second interview.”

The 49ers did give Gase that chance. Nearly two years later, they might be wishing they’d also given him a head-coaching job.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch