In 1966, the Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper” hit the Top 10 of the Billboard charts. The song begins with the lyric, “What a drag it is getting old.”

Mick Jagger was in his early 20s when he wrote the song. Now, at age 71, he really knows the meaning of those lyrics.

So do a trio of aging Boston superstars. Tom Brady, Zdeno Chara and David Ortiz are all closing in on the big four-oh. All three are still among the best at their craft, but it takes more than ever before to stay at that level.

Brady, 37, has heard more criticism this year than in any of his previous 13 seasons as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. Local and national media “experts” have lined up to talk about the end of Brady’s reign as an elite quarterback. They have questioned the chemistry between Brady and Coach Bill Belichick. They have called for newcomer Jimmy Garoppolo to take more snaps.

Those calls reached a crescendo after the Patriots’ 41-14 loss in Kansas City two weeks ago. Brady was quiet in the days that followed. Not much to do but take the beating and move “on to Cincinnati” after a game like that.

Brady did just that, leading New England to a 43-17 thumping of the Bengals. And he was even better Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. Brady threw for 361 yards in the 37-22 win, his 60th career game throwing for 300 or more yards.

Not bad for a dinosaur so far past his prime.

Chara, 37, would do well to follow Brady’s footsteps. After a 4-0 drubbing by the Washington Capitals (the first Caps’ win under former Portland Pirates Coach Barry Trotz), there were plenty of questions surrounding the Boston Bruins.

“We just got embarrassed,” said Chara after the loss, “and I think we all have to really look at what we can start doing better and really take pride in that because a game like tonight is not acceptable.”

Last year, Chara played 77 games and finished second in the Norris Trophy voting for the NHL’s best defenseman. It was his highest finished in the balloting since he won the award back in 2009. He still logs more ice time than any other Bruin and is a full-fledged wall in front of opposing goalies as a forward on the power play.

All those minutes take their toll, though, especially for a player as big as Chara (at 6-foot-9, he is still the tallest player in franchise history).

Yet Chara hasn’t missed a beat. He may have lost a half-step along the way, but he makes up for that with intelligence, toughness and guile.

There are some issues around this Bruins team, to be sure. The captain isn’t one of them.

There are plenty of issues surrounding the Boston Red Sox after their second last-place finish in the American League East in the last three years. David Ortiz isn’t one of the problems. Big Papi hit 35 homers this season, his most since launching a franchise-record 54 in 2006. He has been called the greatest clutch hitter to ever wear the Red Sox uniform, and his performance was one of the few bright spots in a season of disappointment on Yawkey Way.

Ortiz, who turns 39 in November, is already the greatest designated hitter ever. Someday he will have a statue outside the ballpark. Yet there were those who questioned the two-year contract extension the team gave him before the 2004 season. It’s a good thing they did – he was the only player in the lineup that contributed consistently.

Ortiz was surrounded by young prospects this season. We were quickly reminded that you can’t have too many kids playing on a big-league team at the same time. You also can’t have too many guys in their late 30s.

For now, all three Boston teams had better be thankful this trio of athletic “geezers” is still going strong.

Each man is the most important member of his team and will be sorely missed when he is gone.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.